To Emulate a Fake
by Dunedan
Summary: Shirou Emiya, at the climax of his battle against the King of Heroes is pulled into the world of Remnant. Befriended by a kind yet disheartened Rabbit-Faunus, Shirou will strive to learn his place in the new world while seeking to locate and stop Gilgamesh who crossed over with him. A goal that threatens to consume him and all those whom he grows close to.
1. An Emerald Photocopy

**The following is the beginning of my entry in a Fanfiction contest created by Alex-Kellar. If you like Fate related artwork, be sure to check him out.**

 **The contest is to write a crossover between Fate and another fandom with Shirou as the main character. Of the options provided I chose RWBY specifically with Velvet Scarlatina as the focus. The story must be no fewer than 20k words when finished and focuses on a particular theme. Of the options given for the contest I chose obsession. I hope you all enjoy it. :)**

Shirou Emiya knelt on the ground, his mana utterly spent. He had come so close to victory only for it to slip away...he had been so close!

Across the obliterated courtyard stood his opponent Gilgamesh, the King of Heroes though his current condition far underplayed his lofty title. His black jacket and white undershirt were both stained red with blood from a slash wound reaching from shoulder to hip, his right arm severed just above the elbow. Their fight had brought him to his lowest point…yet unlike the redheaded magus, he was still standing.

"Running out of mana is such a pathetic end," he muttered, even in his beaten state he still considered himself above the rest though the utter shame at his near death could be felt in his voice. "Victory is yours…but that won't save your life…faker."

Behind him a golden portal appeared the size of a standard mirror, the last Gate of Babylon he had the strength to muster. From within its depths a single sword appeared, prepared to end Shirou's life in an instant.

Before the legendary spirit could issue the command, an orb of swirling black and blue energy exploded to life from his decapitated arm, swallowing his final sword.

"What are you doing?" He yelled at the phenomenon. "How dare you drag me in you wretch? WAIT!"

Shirou found the strength to look up, gazing into the miniature black hole that had been summoned. His eyes widened as he realized its source.

"A hole left behind by the Grail?" He whispered to no one in particular.

Before his mind could process more, a gold chain erupted from the fissure wrapping totally around his right wrist, binding him tight. Shirou stumbled to his feet, planting them firmly in the ground in a vain attempt to delay the pull that had ensnared him.

"This pathetic abomination!" Gilgamesh roared as he barely held on at the event horizon having tethered himself to Shirou. "It tore open reality itself to claim me? Does it not know that a servant cannot be made its core?!"

"So you want to take me in with you?" Shirou gritted his teeth, rage coursing through his veins. The image of Gilgamesh mercilessly cutting down Ilya…a little girl, nearly killing Rin and Saber flashed in his mind. If he did not stop him here Gilgamesh would attempt his wish to eradicate humanity again and again.

"Fool!" Gilgamesh cried out. "I have no intention of dying here! Stay where you are you faker until I can climb my way back!"

"As if I will allow that!" Shirou roared back. Not only had Gilgamesh committed such crimes, but now believed Shirou would allow his own body to be used to assure his survival? The King of Heroes greatly underestimated the fury coursing through the young man's veins. "I'll rip my own arm off if that's what it takes to end you here! Even if you climbed back, I will hunt you down until you are no longer a threat to anyone…you can COUNT on that!"

"Do so if you wish," came a familiar voice from behind. "But do step to the right first."

"Wha…?" Shirou stepped to the right more out of instinct to see if his ears were not deceiving him than to actually obey the request. As he did a great arrow sped past his cheek missing him by the smallest of margins.

"Archer…" Gilgamesh muttered before the arrow struck him in the center of his chest, missing the intended mark of his skull, the swirling torrents of the fissure throwing off its aim.

The force of the arrow blasted the demigod backwards into the vortex…dragging his golden chain in with him. Shirou began to slide inside with it, unable to extricate himself from the enchanted chain.

"Trace…on!" He shouted, but to no avail, he had no mana left to construct even the simplest of blades. Despite his best efforts he was unable to tear his arm off before he too was dragged inside, disappearing within its endless depths.

Archer rushed ahead to help, being just too slow before the hole left behind by the Grail collapsed upon itself, leaving naught but debris and memories behind. As far as he could tell the Grail had not succeeded in making either of them its new core…so where had Shirou and Gilgamesh disappeared to? In that moment, an old memory returned to Archer, he smiled somewhat at the realization that he knew precisely where they had gone…

 **Another Place and Time…**

Shirou fell…he fell so far, the swirling dark energies of the vortex all around him. Had he been made into the core? It did not feel like it, and he was doubtful he would have felt anything at all if he had. He shielded his eyes from the lightning-like flashes and nauseating torrents assailing his body. Just ahead of him he could spot Gilgamesh's form falling like a rock barely out of reach.

Shirou straightened his body like a javelin to fall faster, catching up with his enemy.

 _I will not stop…until he is dead!_ Shirou could focus on naught else…not until the famed King of Heroes was gone.

They tumbled further and further, Shirou nearing his dead-weight target, reaching out with his hand he could nearly reach him. Impossibly, Gilgamesh's body vanished before him, robbing Shirou of his goal, though he did not have time to take in the soul-tearing frustration.

Somehow daylight struck his eyes, blinding him from the sudden change as his pupils had adjusted to the dark. He continued his fall, crashing into what felt like branches smacking his chest and leaves getting caught in his face. He had to spit repeatedly to remove them all from his mouth. Finally he smashed into the ground though something soft broke his fall.

"Ooof!" A quiet, gentle voice grunted as he landed on top of them. "Please…watch the ears…"

"S-sorry," Shirou stuttered as he strained to open his sensitive eyes, finally taking in the sights around him.

He was in a forest…a normal forest from the look of it. The trees were tall and covered with green leaves; upon closer inspection it seemed green was the cast of the world here. He could not look in any direction without seeing a bush, tree, fern or flower that was not some variation of the primary color. It was a far cry from the destroyed temple he had just been fighting at.

To his horror he realized he had landed atop a young girl, flattening her into the ground. She was about the same height as him as far as he could tell. She had long brown hair matching her eyes; Shirou had to admit she was rather cute. His gaze was drawn mostly to the strange attire she was wearing.

Her top consisted of a brow jacket that seemed a tad too short, ending just above her midriff which was covered with a black undershirt. She must have been some sort of fighter as she wore gold pauldrons and matching bracers. Similar to her top her leggings were in two sections, wearing brown shorts matching her jacket's color scheme that as before would have been quite revealing were it not for what looked like black tights covering each leg down to her shoes.

Strapped to her back just above her waist was a strange box with a handle. Shirou could not even start to guess what could be inside…with how exhausted he was he was certain he'd be unable to read its structure yet.

"I am…so sorry," Shirou apologized again, his vendetta against Gilgamesh briefly forgotten. "Are you alright?"

"Better…I guess," the girl replied, staggering to her feet with a little help from him. "How were you still airborne this far into the forest? I landed almost a mile back."

"Um…landed?" Shirou asked, uncertain why a man falling from the sky would seem so normal to her.

"It doesn't matter…I guess you are my partner then," she smiled cheerily, holding out her hand in greetings. "I don't think I saw you at the Opening Ceremonies last night, my name is Velvet, Velvet Scarlatina at your service!"

Shirou was terribly confused but saw no reason to ruin a good first impression, she seemed friendly enough. He gripped her hand firmly with a welcoming handshake.

"I-it's nice to meet you; my name is Shirou, Shirou Emi….ya…."

Shirou stared on in awe as the top of Velvet's head twitched awkwardly then started to move, a portion of her hair rising straight up into the sky. As he stared slack-jawed he realized what he had mistaken for a portion of her hair was in fact a large pair of ears…but no normal human ears.

As Velvet continued to smile she flexed the large rabbit ears atop her head to work out the soreness. They bobbed cheerily forward and back as if they had minds of their own though always stayed on the same wavelength as their owner.

"Sorry about that," she explained. "You hit them pretty hard when you landed and I just…"

Only then did she notice Shirou's blank stare at the ears perched atop her head, his mouth bobbed open and closed without a sound like a fish. He was utterly perplexed as to how to react. The young man had fought with other magus, legendary spirits and more…yet not once had he ever laid eyes on a genuine bunny girl.

"Do…you not like Faunus?" She asked, her ears shirking back hesitantly in fear mixed with trepidation.

"I…don't know what a Faunus is," Shirou admitted at length, finally shaking his gaze from the perplexing ears. "I've just…never seen a girl with rabbit ears before…I didn't mean to stare."

"Don't know what a…" Velvet looked beside herself with confusion before shaking her head. "I'm sorry but we don't have time, if we don't get to the temple soon the relics may already be gone."

Relics? Temple? Shirou could already tell he was not in Japan anymore…just where had he been spit out? If Gilgamesh had fallen nearby as well then everyone here could be in danger. That was his sole consolation, that as long as Gilgamesh was here…he couldn't hurt the others back home. This…temple could be a good place to find more information.

 _Saber…Rin…sorry but you'll likely have to wait for me a bit longer…_

"Okay, lead the way," he motioned with a smile.

"So you don't know the way either?" Velvet sighed; having hoped the newcomer had more information. "If we keep moving north like the Professor advised we should come across it in no time!"

Shirou looked up at the sky; based on the time of day he started estimating the general direction of north…though his efforts proved ultimately unnecessary as the rabbit-girl produced a compass from her pocket. With another contagious smile she motioned forward through the brush.

 _I need to get information…but letting on that I have no idea what is happening would be too obvious,_ Shirou mused as he followed her through the forest. _Her first thought would probably be that I'm insane._ He could tell that Velvet was quite on edge as if expecting an attack at any moment. _Subtlety is key._ His mind was racing on what to say…

"So…" Shirou started, acting like he was just trying to start up a conversation. "These…relics, they sure sound important."

"It's anyone's guess," Velvet replied, continuing forward without even looking back at him. "The Professor and Ms. Goodwitch seemed to imply they were important…but if they were fragile I can't imagine them being left in the Emerald Forest just for us to retrieve."

Shirou smiled as he now had a name, the Emerald Forest…the title was certainly fitting though he still had no idea where he could be.

Velvet froze ahead, holding her hand back commanding him to do the same. Shirou complied; glancing around them as a sudden sense of danger bubbled in his chest…they were being watched no doubt about it. He crouched down slowly; worried that he had not regenerated enough mana to fight yet.

Velvet's ears twitched sharply atop her head.

"Move!" She cried, grabbing Shirou and throwing him to the side.

As the pair crumpled into the soft grass, a pair of razor sharp claws passed just over their heads barely missing them. The moment they struck the ground Velvet bounded back, settling on a strong stance, she clearly had martial arts training. Shirou similarly scrambled to his feet, preparing for battle.

Before them stood what could only be described as a monster with features resembling a wolf…though the term werewolf was the first thought to enter Shirou's mind. The beast was covered with black fur, the only deviations being strange white bone-like protrusions all over its body matching the talons at the point of each finger. He could not tell if the creature was wearing a mask made of the same boney substance or if that was its head, piercing red and yellow eyes burned hungrily at the two who had wandered into its territory.

"What is that thing?" Shirou shouted.

"A Beowolf!" Velvet educated him as if reading from a text book. "One of the more common species of the creatures of Grimm native to the Emerald Forest, where is your weapon?" She only just then looked the young man up and down, realizing he had nothing but the tattered and torn clothes on his back.

 _She doesn't have a weapon either!_ Shirou screamed in his head, unless she had something concealed within the container on her back. The two bunched closer as the Beowolf encircled them. _If I just had some od,_ " he knew full well he was out after his struggle with Gilgamesh and there was no point even attempting to trace a weapon. _I could create something simple, nothing too flashy that might draw attention to…_

Shirou laid a steadying hand on Velvet's shoulder…suddenly a surge of warmth shot through his body. He knew full well he didn't have a drop of mana left in his body after the exhausting battle against Gilgamesh yet despite this a renewed feeling of strength rose within him. It felt like a new reserve deep inside him had been tapped, it wasn't mana…but felt…familiar. Resolving to stay alive and protect his new friend he held out his hands, blue-white energy crackling at his fingers tips as he cried to the heavens.

"Trace…ON!"

 **On the Cliffs Overlooking the Forest…**

"The teams are progressing through the forest at an acceptable pace." The blonde teacher reported, adjusting her glasses as she looked over the electronic device in her hand monitoring the Emerald Forest.

"Any teams in particular standing out Ms. Goodwitch?" The older gentleman asked, swirling the contents of his mug contentedly as he looked over the large swathe of forest before him.

"Only Ms. Adel and Mr. Daichi. The two are quite formidable together; their fighting styles are perfect for complimenting one another. I do not foresee any difficulties in them reaching the temple."

As she answered, the woman known as Ms. Goodwitch wrinkled her nose, drawing the attention of the older man.

"Yes?"

"That student…he was not at the opening ceremonies." She turned her device towards him.

The white-haired man, known as Professor Ozpin squinted his eyes behind glasses of his own as he looked at the viewer. Velvet Scarlatina was cautiously moving through the forest, he saw high hopes in her…her semblance was quite unique if a bit misunderstood. It was the red-haired man behind her that Ms. Goodwitch had been referring to. The two were rotating around a Beowolf that had intercepted them; a battle was inescapable at this point.

"No…he was not," he agreed, priding himself on knowing the faces of every student he had graced in the auditorium only the previous night. "Nor was he present when I addressed them this morning on the importance of their landing strategies."

"How did he enter the forest? Should we intervene…he should not be here."

"Please review the footage at your next chance to determine his source of entry," Ozpin decided at once. "For now…let us see what he can do."

The professor took a single sip of his tea, eyes glued to the screen as crackling energy swirled around the stranger's hands…taking the shape of twin blades of seemingly excellent craft and quality.

 **The Emerald Forest…**

Velvet's jaw dropped as the twin blades appeared in Shirou's hands. They were curved shortswords clearly, one bore a white blade with a black point near the hilt while the other had the exact opposite color scheme. Where before the boy who didn't even know what a Faunus was had appeared hesitant to take action…now held such determination and ferocity in his eyes.

Velvet's hands slipped to the case on her back, pulling out the camera she held there. Without a word she let the shutter go off again and again, taking as many as she felt were needed.

Sensing the threat, the Beowolf leapt forward, claws slashing towards Shirou's throat. It was too slow, in that instant the young man leapt high, allowing the claws to sink into the dirt where he had been standing. Bouncing off its outstretched arm Shirou slashed downward, decapitating the limb just below the shoulder.

The Beowolf howled in pain as it stumbled backwards, giving Shirou some breathing room to assess the situation.

 _It worked! But Kanshou and Bakuya aren't as strong as_ before, he analyzed. The blow had been clean but had taken a bit more effort than he had anticipated. It _must be the new energy source whatever it is. It is more difficult to mold than mana…it's so different._

"Behind you!" Velvet called out as the first Beowolf retreated to lick its wounds; three more pounced from the brush towards him and two more from the other side.

Shirou ducked and weaved between them, narrowly avoiding their claws at the expense of his shirt. His clothes had already been tattered from the battle with Gilgamesh; the talons of the Grimm being all that was required to finish them off, ripping it away and exposing his chest to the cool air. Despite this, confidence swelled within him as strength returned even with the five on one odds.

Ignoring the others for the time being Shirou dodged another powerful but predictable animalistic swing. Sliding under the beast's appendage he sliced in an "x" fashion towards its chest, causing the Grimm to literal crumble before him. To his astonishment as soon as the furred remains fell they immediately began to smolder and disappear…soon not a single clue remained that the creature had ever existed.

In a flash the two additional oncoming attackers collapsed to the ground, drawing Shirou's attention along with the remaining three who whimpered in confusion at the sudden defeat of their packmates. Velvet completed her majestic flip, landing lightly on the ground though it was her chosen weapons that caused the most bewilderment.

In each hand she bore weapons nigh identical to Shirou's, however quite perplexingly they were see-through and glowing light-blue as if forged from moonlight itself. Without a hint of hesitation Velvet bounded towards him, her style unmistakably identical to his own…how could she know how to wield blades like them with such expertise so quickly? Shirou turned left as Velvet flanked right, with a single swing apiece the remaining Beowolves collapsed to the ground without a moment to react.

As the rabbit-girl completed her movements the weapons in her hands shimmered and flickered out of existence, though Shirou caught a glimpse of the light receding into the case on her back. Tapping into the newfound energy within him Shirou focused on its contents.

A hard-light projector, not a weapon per se but he added the information on it to his repertoire. Shirou could not help but smile as he understood its purpose…replicating the basic structure of weapons analyzed by the camera built into it. There was no information on duplicating the combat prowess of others however; he theorized she must have some other means for imitating his style so flawlessly. Shirou Emiya could not help but smile at the Faunus girl as the realization reached his mind.

 _She's…just like me…_

 **Just the first chapter of my entry, the full story will be completed before the 8/22 cutoff date for the contest. As always, Read and Review…but most of all Enjoy! :)**


	2. A Faux in the Forest

**Wow, first off I would like to say I had no idea this would get so big. Normally I like to thank or message those individually who favorites/follows my stories…but for this one there were too many! I couldn't keep up. Instead I would like to thank EVERYONE here who is reading and enjoying my story from the guests to the reviewers, followers, favorites and those just reading. It means so much to see you enjoying my entry in the Fate Crossover Contest.**

"Your semblance was incredible!" Velvet gushed as the two continued through the dense foliage. "Are those the only weapons you can make or do you have options?"

Shirou scratched the back of his head awkwardly, he did not like having so much attention drawn to his abilities. He had theorized based on the unfamiliar terrain and sky that he may no longer be on Earth or perhaps he was in a different time…he had no way of finding out until he got out of the forest. For the meanwhile he would need to go along with the young rabbit-girl. Despite her cheerful and welcoming nature Shirou could not help but be reserved…for her own protection if nothing else.

Based on her word choice, a semblance sounded like power possessed in this world. Was it magic…did everyone have it? He had to find out.

"Yea…but only weapons I have seen," he tried to explain as simply as possible. "Yours was incredible too, you copied not just my weapons…but my style flawlessly."

Velvet's unbreakable smile seemed to waver at his words, her look becoming solemn and the energy draining from her face.

"That…wasn't my semblance," she sighed, tapping the camera behind her. "I can only copy weapons my camera takes a picture of which are then replicated inside it…I don't have any real weapons of my own. "I can…mimic styles if I see them firsthand…that is all my semblance can do…imitate those better than me…"

Shirou stopped in his tracks, causing the young girl to pause as well.

"Don't say that," he whispered, the frustration at the condemnation he had received at the hands of Gilgamesh and others flooding back. "I'm the same…I don't have any weapons of my own."

He held out his hands to prove that, like hers, his blades had disintegrated since the battle, leaving him seemingly unarmed.

"But…those swords…"

"Copies of better ones that were most certainly not mine," he smiled warmly. "Even the ones I learned how to make them from were just copies of the originals. "My…semblance," he started, electing to use her terminology despite not knowing its meaning, "lets me analyze and project weapons that I've seen and understand. The same is true for how to use them…I could never have mastered the style for each without the originals having done all the heavy lifting."

Velvet just stared back at him, her frown had abated somewhat, but she still looked uncertain. Before moving on, Shirou could not resist adding the words of wisdom he had learned during his time participating in the Fifth Holy Grail War.

"There is NOTHING that says a copy cannot surpass the original."

The pair pushed on, finally getting past the last of the large group of trees, stepping out into a wide expanse. Rolling green hills opened before them leading to a stone structure far in the distance, no doubt the temple they sought. Still there was no sign of Gilgamesh anywhere, how far could he have landed from Shirou's location?

"See, I told you it wouldn't be hard to find," Velvet smiled as she picked up the pace to a light jog towards their destination.

 _I don't recall you saying that,_ Shirou thought with a smirk as he kept up with her.

The 'temple' was not at all what he had imagined. When Velvet had mentioned retrieving relics from one he had pictured a grand palace not too dissimilar from Ryuudou Temple or perhaps even Ilya's mansion.

Shirou's chest ached at the memory of that place.

What greeted them instead was a small circular stone rotunda, less a temple and more a ruined shrine. If it had once been a place of gathering or worship those days were long since passed. The closest comparison he could think to it was Stonehenge he had seen in old text books, but even then there were differences. The symmetrical structure was degraded, barely standing yet inside twenty pedestals were set in place that appeared to have been recently repaired. Atop each one rested an item.

"These must be the relics," Velvet advised as he looked over the contents.

Atop each pedestal was a chalice of varying designs and colors. Shirou could not help but notice that they were set up in pairs with ten differing sets in total.

"How will we carry them all?"

Velvet turned, looking at him as if he had asked the most ridiculous of questions. "We only need one, we must be first…they are all still here. I wonder if it matters which we pick."

Shirou scanned over each one, the first was a shining silver color with looped handles on either side. Around the rim of the glass was an ornate drawing of a serpent devouring its own tail, it was quite beautiful. The other chalices were similarly adorned, some with emerald or ruby gems, another was jade with the cup being in the shape of a dragon's mouth as if it would devour whoever drank from it. Each one appeared grander than the last.

Shirou froze at spotting the next in line. The finish was gold shining in the daylight with round azure gems dotting the surface. The shape of the cup started wide but curved outward the higher up it went making the top much wider than the base. The side of the chalice was mostly unadorned save for wave patterns he did not recognize. What drew his attention was the carving etched above the patterns.

Standing prominently upon the side was a sword stabbing downward, the hilt reaching up to the top of the vessel. If Shirou did not see the etching he would not have believed it, the design was nigh indistinguishable from Caliburn in every way.

"Saber…Rin" he whispered under his breath. The rage in his heart flared towards Gilgamesh who may still roam free. Without consulting Velvet he picked up the chalice, looking it over to discern if it held any other purpose. Even after analyzing its structure he determined it was but a chalice…and nothing else.

"That one piques your fancy?" Velvet asked completely oblivious to the array of emotions surging through him.

Without turning towards her, Shirou nodded, squeezing his eyes tight to hold back the tears from falling. He would find a way back…he had to.

"Hey! Who goes there?" A voice called out from the distance. Shirou could spot two silhouettes coming up the same way they had.

"Hi there!" Velvet replied happily, apparently an acquaintance of hers. Beside her walked an absolute giant of a man. Shirou's gaze flattened as he realized her companion had to be almost 7 feet tall…if not more!

The man was a walking mass of muscle, shaved short dark hair and he wore a green robe with a single pauldron protecting the left shoulder. Slung across his back was an immense curved sword that looked to weigh more than Shirou did. His partner and Velvet's friend on the other hand…Shirou did not quite know what to make of her.

She wore a brown long-sleeved shirt with a black cincher secured tightly around her waist. Dark black pants and a matching scarf completed the base of her ensemble though she had a matching beret and dark sunglasses preventing any view of her eyes beneath. Combined with the various accessories and necklaces the first word that popped to mind at her attire was 'hip.'

"See, I told you you'd be fine," the oddly clad girl assured Velvet, suddenly noticing Shirou's presence. "He your partner?"

"He is, his name is Shirou," Velvet introduced, leaning in closer to whisper. "I think he's from some REALLY remote village…he didn't even know what a Faunus was. But he's nice and very skilled. We took out a small pack of Beowolves on the way here."

"Good to hear," she announced loudly, approaching the pedestals to claim her own relic. "This beast in armor is Yatsuhashi. At least we'll have some interesting classmates during our time at Beacon. My name is Coco."

 _Beacon…if they are students that must be the school name,_ Shirou continued to analyze the situation as he shook their hands in greeting, hoping to delay the discovery that he wasn't from there as long as possible.

"We should go," the giant accompanying Coco advised. "The Grimm will not stay idle long."

"Good idea, are you both ready to go?"

"Just…need a minute," Shirou asked. Between going straight from his battle with Gilgamesh and coming to this new world with almost no breather Shirou was exhausted. With a heavy sigh he leaned against a nearby tree…realizing his mistake too late.

What he had mistaken for a branch swiped sideways, latching onto and pinning him against the tree. As Shirou fought to free himself the entirety of the trunk began to move. Bark flaked off to fall towards the ground revealing a putrid black surface beneath.

He had been ensnared by a large Grimm that had been camouflaging itself as a tree. The creature was taller than the ruins itself…did it choose that location on purpose knowing students would come by? His biology courses came to mind despite how long ago they'd been, this particular Grimm species seemed to be a variation of stick-insects that could disguise themselves in order to avoid its natural enemies. With the monster's size it had perfectly imitated an entire tree and based on the aggressive mandibles clacking towards him it seemed this one was the one doing the hunting.

"Shirou!" Velvet called out, bounding towards the Grimm. With a war cry she performed a powerful high kick at the faux branches to little effect.

As she had rushed it, Coco produced a small handbag, in an instant the innocuous purse unfolded into an intimidating gatling gun. Yatsuhashi had to stop her from opening fire for fear she would hit its captive.

Shirou struggled, plans for escape getting hazy as the limbs cut off circulation. He couldn't focus on the weapons in his memory, glancing every which was he sought a means to free himself. As his vision started to blur his gaze fell on Yatsuhashi who was running to join Velvet in an attempt to free him.

"Trace…on!"

The limb holding Shirou exploded as a replica of Yatsuhashi's intimidating blade burst to life in his hands. Now free, Shirou spun around, burying the sword in the trunk of the mimc-Grimm, using the force of gravity to slash a gaping wound all the way down until he was safely on the forest floor.

Velvet did not hesitate; tapping the camera behind her she created another replica of Kanshou and Bakuya. So beautiful were the weapons to her she saw no need to choose any others and had multiple photos taken to spare. Despite Shirou's impressive blow to the behemoth Grimm it continued attacking as if feeling no pain.

With her fellow students clear Coco took aim an unloaded into the Grimm. The rate of fire and power behind her weapon was incredible as she actually slid backwards under the recoil until she bumped into Yatsuhashi. The gentle giant gripped her shoulders, allowing her to stay rooted as she continued her barrage.

Despite the hail of bullets, the Grimm appeared barely fazed. Bits and pieces of its bark-like skin chipped away yet there always appeared to be more.

"It's a Phasmat!" Velvet called out having to scream to be heard over Coco's gunfire. "Their bodies are VERY sturdy…go for the limbs!"

Shirou was uncertain if Yatsuhashi or Coco could hear her, but she rang loud and clear for him. Gripping his new weapon Shirou ran towards the Grimm that had fallen onto its stomach and started skittering towards the others.

"HEY! OVER HERE!" He shouted, leaping into the air with a powerful downward slash. The farthest back of the creature's numerous legs sheared cleanly off, rolling to the side as it started to disappear.

Yatsuhashi realized their plan, with a roar he checked the Grimm with his armored shoulder, halting its advance. Raising his weapon he hacked off two more legs. Velvet danced in from the opposite side, her hard-light copies of Kanshou and Bakuya claiming their own before shimmering out of existence. Coco's bullets finished off the remaining appendages.

The four sighed in victory as they reconvened, their opponent wriggling grossly on the ground as it still attempted to devour them with its putrid mandibles.

"That was…gross," Coco gagged, sticking out her tongue.

"We cannot leave it here," Yatsuhashi pointed out. "It may attempt to re-camouflage and lie in wait for others.

"Well," Velvet chimed in. "Now that it's immobile it should be easy enough to...relocate…it…"

The Faunus-girl's ears had started to shirk back in terror; she stepped away from the ruins. Shirou turned back towards their defeated foe.

Beneath the Grimm's dark mass dozens of tiny legs…perhaps hundreds sprouted, allowing the Phasmat to realign itself. Within a matter of seconds it was back up…rotating in their direction. Clicking its mandibles together it spit dozens of thin barbed needles towards the group. Coco barely reconverted her gun into the handbag to deflect the incoming projectiles in time.

"The…books never mentioned that part," the young Faunus squeaked.

"Um…new plan Bun Bun?" Coco asked, pushing her shades back into place on her head.

"I…suggest we…um…RUN!" Velvet called at last, darting off faster than Shirou thought possible away from the ruins further north.

With a quick glance to Yatsuhashi, Shirou complied with her request as all three took off running after her…the Phasmat hot on their heels, needles raining past them.

 _What...is this place!_ Shirou screamed in his head over and over as they ran with seemingly no goal in sight. Sprinting further ahead the forest eventually receded around them, giving way to more of the stone structures similar to the temple…only far larger. More circular pillars flanked both sides of a path he would have guessed was a long-forgotten road. It was easily wide enough for entire trucks to be driven through side by side.

The forest floor finally fell away as well as the four found themselves on a long stone bridge leading towards the high cliffs beyond. Before the path wound up there was an enormous tower situated in the middle of the stone paths almost half the size of the cliff face itself. Shirou could not help but recall tales of knights and mages while gazing up at it…clearly it had been a defensive structure long ago…and could be again. The Grub-like Grimm kept pace with them every step of the way.

"I can give you guys some cover from up there," Coco called out, pointing towards the tower. "Velvet, you too!"

"You can copy her gun too?" Shirou asked, clearly impressed that she could replicate modern weaponry with her camera as well.

"Of course!" She smiled, a hint of pride forming on her face as she bounded after her friend leaving Yatsuhashi and Shirou alone on the bridge.

The Phasmat burst through onto the bridge, nearly upon the two identically-armed fighters holding the line. As promised the two women rained down volley after volley on its head, the Grimm continued to shrug off the bullets though was clearly confused as it attempted to locate where they were coming from.

Shirou and Yatsuhashi stood their ground though had no room to maneuver as its bulk was so large it took up the entirety of the pathway their group had just taken.

The Phasmat let out a bellowing roar as it neared, mandibles salivating as a fresh wave of barbs erupted from them. The two fighters turned their swords sideways to act as makeshift shields. The Grimm steamrolled into the two, impacting their swords, working together they were barely able to hold it back.

"Shirou!" Velvet called out above, frustrated that their fire was doing so little to help. As her latest hologram of Coco's weapon disappeared she stepped up to the edge of the tower and held her hands out to stabilize herself.

"Velvet!" Coco called out as the rabbit girl leapt from the tower.

The two below heard Coco's cry, looking up they were forced to shield their eyes from the sun her partner had leapt directly into, plummeting towards them faster and faster. As she neared the ground the box on her back sprang to life, a shimmering replica of Yatsuhashi's sword appearing in her hand. Flipping it upside down she put her entire body weight behind it.

She slammed into the Phasmat's back, the weapon exploding out of existence at the moment of impact. The Grimm-bug flattened into the stonework, cracking it from the force. Velvet tumbled forward, caught by the timely intervention of Yatsuhashi. Based on his size the small girl must have been like a feather.

Amazingly, despite the ferocity of the strike the monster stirred again, barbs firing forward. Yatsuhashi knelt forward, the attack deflecting off his shoulder armor though a single spine impacted his arm, deflecting to the side of a strange barrier surrounding his skin.

 _It was a good plan…just not enough force,_ Shirou thought, taking note of the man's apparent shield before an idea struck him.

"Can you throw me with one arm?" He asked Yatsuhashi who nodded. "Toss me as high as you can!"

He climbed onto his shoulder, with a mighty grunt Yatsuhashi hurled him into the air, going almost as high as Velvet had fallen from. He focused on creating the desired weapon.

 _What?_ Shirou was confused. When he had delved deep to draw on the power he had brushed something else…od? That couldn't be, he was tapped dry during the fight with Gilgamesh and there was no way he should have any now. _It feels like I have it all back…but that should be impossible. A mystery for another time._ In the end he resolved to continue utilizing the newfound energy he had discovered.

"Trace…on!"

In the young man's hands formed a jagged ugly weapon he did not think he would ever find a use for. Due to its immense weight and awkward design he'd never be able to lift it normally…but in this case gravity would do all of the work. An axe-sword as tall as he was and far heavier materialized in his hands…the blade wielded by the Berserker Heracles. He saw flashes out of the corner of his eye as Velvet could not resist another addition to her repertoire.

The effect was almost instant; the weight of the weapon dragged him down, Shriou's own mass miniscule in comparison. It did not even take three seconds before he slammed into the Phasmat with a sickening crunch. Like a bloated tick the Grimm popped, exploding outward in all directions forcing Velvet and her protector to dive for cover. Shirou had leapt for safety the moment he had impacted yet the force of the attack had sent him flying far…over the edge.

The young man in a foreign world reached for yet missed the platform as he sailed past. No matter where he looked there was nothing to grab hold of.

A heartbeat before he would have fallen to his doom a small hand grabbed him. Velvet had thrown herself from Yatsuhashi's protective grasp to reach him in time. Despite her tiny frame she was surprisingly strong, easily pulling Shirou up enough for him to grab hold and scramble to the safety of the rock.

"Th-thank you," Shirou gasped, barely comprehending that he had actually survived…he was so tired.

"Hey…we're partners aren't we?" Velvet asked with a smile. Suddenly realizing Shirou was still shirtless, noting how in-shape he seemed to be. The shy rabbit-girl looked away blushing, punching him in the arm. Despite her playful intentions it still hurt with how on fire his limbs already felt.

Shirou just nodded returning a warm smile, starting to laugh at the fact they finally had a chance to just rest. With a groan he allowed himself to fall backwards, finally closing his eyes for the first time since arriving in the new world…

 **On the Cliffside above…not long after…**

The four exhausted students pulled themselves up the last leg of the journey, already they could spot two individuals waiting for them in the distance. Based on Velvet's excited exclamations Shirou surmised they must be the Professor Ozpin and Ms. Goodwitch who were overseeing their initiation to the school.

 _What am I going to do now?_ Shirou worried in his mind. Playing off that the others just missed him as another student may have worked but on the teachers there was no way it would hold up. If the school was anything like those back home he would need paperwork, applications…documentation, if he truly was in another world entirely he didn't even have a single bit of proof to his identity. Then there was finding individuals with enough pull to help him track down the King of Heroes…he did not want to drag in any more people than absolutely necessary.

"Excellent work all of you," the older gentleman with white hair and a dark suit congratulated. "You recovered a relic and made it out of the Emerald Forest…in record time I might add," he smiled, taking note of the sun's position in the sky. "You will each make fine additions to my Academy."

"Thank you Professor!" Velvet hopped a little in place, her ears bobbing happily over the compliment. Coco high fived Yatsuhashi behind her.

 _Might as well get this over with._

"Sir," Shirou started, approaching the Headmaster. "I'm not…"

"Ah, Mr. Emiya," Ozpin turned towards him, having heard his name from the forest recordings. "I know your application was a little…delayed but I assure you it has gone through." He approached Shirou; wrapping an arm around his shoulder he subtly led him away from the others for some privacy.

"My…application?"

"Indeed, your skills are quite unique and are more than welcome at Beacon. I know you were worried we wouldn't accept a late enrollee…but I assure you that is not the case."

Ozpin continued to act like he had spoken with Shirou before as they strolled along the cliffs, behind them Ms. Goodwitch did similarly with the other three, making sure to keep them back from the Professor. Once they were far enough away his gaze turned more serious.

"You are not from Remnant…correct?"

Shirou froze; his hands fell to his side, ready to fight if necessary, uncertain what this 'Remnant' was referring to, a country…the world possibly?

Ozpin seemed to realize his trepidation. "Come now, there is no need to worry. We recorded your…drop into the forest. A fascinating phenomenon to be sure, would you care to elaborate where you come from?"

Shirou hesitated; he didn't know this man and he had learned to be wary of help that seemed too good to be true.

Ozpin simply nodded at his silence. "I understand your hesitation, but you have naught to fear from me. I did not lie when I said your skills were unique…Ms. Scarlatina requires her camera to achieve what you do naturally. And you need some place to live I presume?"

Shirou nodded slightly.

"As you may have noticed during your time in the Forest…the creatures of Grimm are quite hostile and can be formidable. Our world has lived in fear of them for all of recorded history, which is what these Institutions were built for…to train huntsman and huntresses to protect others from them."

 _Not Earth then…_

"But I'm not a huntsman," Shirou finally spoke up. "I am not from here…I need to find a way to get home! My friends…Rin…they are all waiting for me!"

"That may be…difficult, I am not aware of such an anomaly ever occurring much less how to repeat it with any accuracy. But I assure you; during your time here I will do ALL in my power to help you get home…if such an option is possible."

Shirou contemplated his offer, it was true he was fully aware he would need allies, he had no idea how the Grail had even led him here much less how to undo it. The itch in the back of his mind forgotten while fighting for his life returned in his moment of contemplation.

"Did…anyone else 'drop in' to your forest about the same time I did?"

Ozpin looked at him quizzically. "Not that we found on any of our monitors, why do you ask?"

"Someone else came through with me," Shirou's hesitation at divulging information fell away at the chance he may know something. "He would have been bloody, missing right arm, black jacket with short blonde hair and red eyes."

"I am sorry but no one by that description entered the Emerald Forest. I assure you if he had we would have spotted him."

"That can't be right!" Shirou blurted out, loud enough for the others across the way to glance over concerned. Ozpin motioned in front of the young man to calm down though that seemed an impossibility.

"I will help you find your friend as well," he assured him. "But you need to let me help you."

"He's NOT my friend," Shirou blurted out before falling silent again.

Shirou didn't know what to do; he was still acclimating to the new world. A power source so easily accessed that didn't use mana…rabbit-girls…huntsman…monsters? He looked Ozpin over again, how did he know this old man could even help?"

He looked relatively normal; the Professor was clearly older by his white hair yet had aged quite well. He had a black pair of spectacles resting on his face; his black suit and green undershirt were immaculate despite having been outside in nature for who knows how long. He held a coffee mug in his other hand, the warm aroma wafting from the contents informed Shirou that the beverage existed here as well…that was a small comfort at least. He also had the most unique cane in his other hand.

Shirou's eyes shot wide as his gaze lingered on the walking instrument. He had only intended to ensure it wasn't a hidden weapon…but instead he got absolutely nothing from it. The moment he had glanced at it his senses for the structure…design…even name just shut down…he could read absolutely nothing. A shiver ran through his spine as the young magus realized it was the same feeling he had gotten the first time Gilgamesh had drawn his ultimate treasure Ea…

 _Who is this guy?_

"You've…got yourself a deal," Shirou finally decided. With a firm grip he shook Ozpin's hand, no matter whether he was telling the truth or deceiving him he was clearly extraordinary even by this world's standards. The next few weeks would be interesting at the very least.

 **Beacon Amphitheatre…not long after…**

The four new friends stood at the side of the stage awaiting their turn. Ms. Goodwitch had given Shirou a brief explanation of what was to come. Apparently students are set up as four-man teams based on the relics recovered during their time studying at Beacon and would be introduced to the rest of the school at the ceremony.

Shirou tugged at his new clothes, to replace his tattered pants Professor Ozpin had supplied a full array of Beacon Academy uniforms early. It reminded Shirou too much of his days back at Homurahara…though admittedly Beacon's color scheme was infinitely preferable to the dull beige brown he was used to.

The Beacon suit was mostly black with gold lining that added a much needed touch of color. Beneath he wore a standard white dress shirt with a blue vest over it beneath the outer coat. He had been given a long pair of black pants though based on the audience women had a plaid skirt and stockings though their length appeared to be personal preference. The final touch of flare was a bright red tie that Shirou could not seem to get right.

"Here, let me," Velvet stepped up as they waited their turn. With a quick snap and pull she had accomplished that which had eluded him the last hour. He gave her an appreciative nod.

"We're up," Coco called out as the previous team started to vacate the stage.

Coco and Yatsuhashi were the first up followed by Velvet and Shirou. As the previous team neared the exit, the member in the back, shoulder checked Velvet when they crossed paths.

The young girl staggered, but Shirou caught her, the move was unnoticed by the audience as they continued as if nothing had happened. Shirou made sure to take note of the man's features, however.

He had light brown hair buzzed quite short on all sides; almost eerily bright blue eyes glared daggers at Velvet and only seemed to target Shirou when he caught her from falling. He wore a dark-gray sleeveless flak jacket with a tight black shirt beneath and matching pants.

"Faunus faker…" he muttered angrily under his breath.

Were it not for Shirou steadying Velvet he would have turned and decked the man…but in front of the entire school that could turn ugly fast. In the end he resolved to act as if nothing had happened and ensure Velvet was okay…for now.

"Yatsuhashi Daichi," Professor Ozpin started as Shirou took his place at the end, each of them lining up beside one another. "Coco Adel, Velvet Scarlatina and Shirou Emiya…the four of you recovered the gold sword chalices. From today onward you shall work as on as…Team CVEY (Coffee) led by…Coco Adel!"

Coco adjusted her glasses proudly, beaming at having been named the leader of the team. The attending students from all four years proceeded to applaud, their claps spreading throughout the room. Velvet was blushing madly at the attention, already having pushed the previous altercation from her mind. Yatsuhashi had his hands raised as if promoting the crowd to continue.

 _I guess I'll be here for a time,_ Shirou inhaled deeply, taking in the cheers around him, pushing aside the student who nearly ruined the moment. He felt more at ease now that he had a moment to calm down. Knowing Saber and especially Rin he was certain they were able to handle things back home…though the worry still itched in the back of his mind along with Gilgamesh…where could he have gone? _At least until I track him down…or find a way home. He won't be able to hide here…not from me._ With any luck…this Professor Ozpin will be able to help track down the King of Heroes…

 **Shirou begins his time at Beacon, a time to rest, learn of his new world, but most importantly…to find information to aid in his locating of the King of Heroes before he can bring harm down upon the new world he has temporarily called home. As always Read and Review…but most of all Enjoy! :)**


	3. The Fake Leading the Fake

**Once again I wanted to give a big thank you to everyone reading. I am so honored that you are all enjoying my entry in the Crossover Contest. It means a lot and I hope you continue to enjoy reading my tale of Fate/RWBY.**

 **Shirou Emiya begins his time at Beacon to rest and learn of the new world in which he finds himself. With his partner Velvet he will await word on the whereabouts of Gilgamesh before he can bring any harm to Remnant…**

Shirou groggily opened his eyes, adjusting to the light as rays of sun shined through the open window on a new day. He scanned around the room he and the others had been given for the time they'd be studying together at Beacon Academy. Considering it was meant to be shared by four people it was quite spacious, matters were certainly helped by the fact none on his team packed heavy other than Coco's wardrobe.

Upon their arrival, he was shocked to see that Professor Ozpin had been kind enough to bring his "lost suitcase" up to the room ahead of them. The older Headmaster seemed to have thought ahead for everything he may need. Inside he found several sets of more laid-back casual clothes, basic necessity items, some text books on aura and weaponry along with a bit of the currency of their world known as lien. At the very bottom he found a strange device that reminded him of a flat phone of some sort. It had a screen similar to a computer yet was small enough to fit in his pocket. Assuming it must be important, he made sure to keep it on him at all times.

Four large western-style beds had been provided and were spaced out with two on each side of the room with a large window in the center overlooking the school grounds. Naturally Shirou and Yatsuhashi claimed the two on the left while Coco and Velvet took the ones on the right. There was a large carpet covering the wide-open space between the beds though he heard Velvet talking with Ms. Goodwitch about possibly moving in a table to fill it.

The young man had been utterly baffled by the decision to allow boys and girls of similar age to sleep in the same room. Apparently such notions were considered old fashioned in Remnant and teams are expected to room together regardless of the gender split. The four of them could not have been more different; Shirou noticed he was the only one awake so early.

Yatsuhashi slept in a pretty relaxed position on his back, though due to his extreme size he just barely fit onto the bed. Shirou had heard it creaking all night under the weight of their team's gentle giant and he was certain it would break at any moment.

Velvet seemed to have attempted to make a den for herself as she was completely underneath her sheets. There was no sign that the rabbit-girl was even in her bed save for the Faunus-sized bulge beneath the covers and her twin brown ears poking out from within.

Coco, on the other hand, seemed to have thrown her blankets during the night and was sprawled out across the length of her bed somehow nearly covering as much of it as Yatsuhashi was his own. She was wearing a brown sleeveless top with white shorts and had little modesty about the team seeing her in them, despite that, she never seemed to remove her beret.

Trying not to wake them, he snuck out of the room to hit the showers located at the end of each floor and change for their first class. The facilities were surprisingly modern and nearly identical to those on Earth; he was able to complete his tasks before anyone else on the floor came by.

Upon returning to the room, he opened the door to see Coco and Velvet were already awake and had changed into their uniforms while Yatsuhashi still slept, though he was just now starting to stir. They both had the jacket and plaid skirt combo he had seen others wear the previous day, while Velvet had tights covering the entirety of her legs, Coco had elected for black socks that barely reached her ankles.

Velvet completed her ensemble with a necklace of a heart covered in stitches; it was the same emblem that adorned her combat attire.

"We have an early riser on the team I see," Coco teased as she went to push the last member of their team out of bed. "Must be excited for our first day."

 _You have no idea…what better way to learn about a new world than by taking a class on it?_ The textbooks alone could only tell so much.

"Yea," he shrugged, suddenly noticing Velvet eyeing him yet looking away as if she wanted to talk but was too shy to start. Unbeknownst to the young man, Coco lowered her glasses slightly off to the side so Velvet could see her motioning towards him with her eyes…trying to get her to make the move.

"Um…Shirou…" the Faunus-girl finally started. "C…could you show me those swords again?"

Shirou just stared at her blankly, feeling a little like he was a carnival clown being asked to perform. There was something about her timid request that reminded him of Rin when she was embarrassed.

"Sure," he acquiesced; they had time before Yatsuhashi was ready and were in no rush for the first class. Crossing his hands over one another he summoned Kanshou and Bakuya once more. He had grown more accustomed to the new power inside him though his copies were still far cries from what they had been against Gilgamesh…he hoped practice and reinforcement would solve that dilemma.

Velvet had her camera out in a flash taking picture after picture. Shirou wasn't even certain she was doing it to increase her armory, rather she just found them so beautiful that her inner photographer had taken over.

"Do…you need more pictures per use?" He asked out of curiosity.

"One per," she clarified only half paying attention. "How long it lasts is dependent on the energy required for each copy."

 _She'll have nothing but uses for mine at the rate she's taking pictures._

"You must have so many," she continued to gush. "That big one you used on the Phasmat, it looked so…ferocious."

 _No kidding, considering its owner._

Velvet paused in her photos; Coco was motioning in her direction behind Shirou again. This time she seemed to be imitating a bear, holding her arms out wide, taking wide strides then snapping them shut. It took her a moment to realize what she was saying.

"Th-thank you so much," Velvet edged closer, wrapping him in a hug.

Coco pumped her fists in the air behind him in victory.

Shirou just stood tall, uncertain how to reply. In the end he settled on patting her on the back, he could not have looked more wooden or awkward if he tried.

"You're…welcome…that camera really is something," he remarked, trying to turn the conversation from himself. "Did you build it?"

Velvet finally released him from her vice-like hug with a nod.

"She was my baby; I worked on her during most of my combat school days…"

"To the expense of all else," Coco interrupted, looping her arms around Velvet and Shirou's necks, dragging them close. "If it weren't for yours truly she would never have had any contact with the outside world…she was utterly obsessed."

"Coco!" Velvet exclaimed in embarrassment.

"If it's okay…I would love to take a look at it sometime," Shirou admitted. He had already seen its internal workings…but it was one thing to see and another to actually work on.

"That…would be fine," she blushed.

Coco glanced back and forth at the two, an eyebrow raised at the sudden change of atmosphere.

"Enough of that, technical seminars can wait until later. We have a class to get to!" With that she pointed ahead towards the door as if planning to lead them into battle.

 **Beacon Classroom…**

"And so!" The bespectacled, hyperactive green-haired teacher continued. "The end of the Great War marked the end of the hereditary rulers of the respective kingdoms, giving rise to the councils we know of today. Be sure to write that down it WILL be on the exam."

Shirou could barely keep up, after every couple of syllables the teacher would seemingly teleport across the room and back. One moment he'd be pointing out the location of one of the four kingdoms on a map, the next he'd be in the face of a student making egregious impressions of him from what they thought was a safe distance. No doubt the secret to his power rested within the steaming cup of coffee in his hand…what Shirou would have given to partake of some. He had introduced himself as Doctor Bartholomew Oobleck and was the history teacher at Beacon. There were others but apparently he ran the department.

Despite the difficulty, the young man hung on every word. This was the best way to learn about the world he found himself in; already he had gleamed so much in the mere 90 minute course. There were four kingdoms, though he couldn't imagine why they were still called that with no kings and apparently a huge war had brought peace about 80 years earlier. Grimm were considered a huge threat to humanity's survival and roamed most of the world.

He was so deep in the books he hardly noticed that everyone else in the class was dozing off or barely staying conscious…Velvet included. What was common knowledge to them was a new experience for him.

"In conclusion…" Oobleck started before the loud bell rang to signal the end of class, cutting him off. "Oh, well I guess that will wait for…NEXT TIME! Be sure to read over pages 91 through 122 for tomorrow students!"

"Wow," Shirou remarked to his near-comatose team in an attempt to revitalize them. "Imagine what the world would be like if the Great War had turned out differently!" His attempts did not seem to be working; at most Velvet and Coco appeared to be contemplating asking Yatsuhashi to rip his arms off.

"How far out in the middle of nowhere were you raised to still find that story interesting?" Coco groaned as she stretched her sore back.

The next class on their schedule was the one Shirou was most looking forward to…aura mastery with Professor Goodwitch though only he and Velvet would be attending. Coco and Yatsuhashi would be learning combat tactics from a Professor Port.

From what Shirou had heard scattered around from other students, aura was the force he had tapped into in the forest to trace his weapons…just how potent was it to mana and how much could he harness? He knew these were the questions he must find the answers to!

Shirou and Velvet found seats near the front and were thankful for them. A few moments before the bell announcing tardiness was to be rung a familiar face entered the classroom, taking a seat near the very back. It was none other than the brute who had checked Velvet on stage, his jacket was haphazardly worn and he did not seem to have his tie. Shirou could not help noticing Velvet's ears shirk down upon spotting him as she tried to stay out of his field of vision.

Velvet had talked Shirou down from seeking him out to get an apology for his actions at the welcoming ceremony. She assured him that she was used to it as a Faunus…apparently they were discriminated against and hated often simply for their animal traits. Velvet's situation was more…precarious considering her camera and semblance allowed her to copy the weapons and skills of others, and very few saw her imitation as a form of flattery…

"Aura is perhaps the most important defining trait that separates us from the creatures of Grimm," Professor Goodwitch started with upon addressing the class.

The professor was tall, even taller than Shirou; despite the fact most referred to her as an older woman she retained her youthful appearance. She wore a unique ensemble with a white pleated top similar to the old fashioned clothes he had seen in books and a black pencil skirt with a series of buttons going up the front. She seemed to carry herself with an air of dignity and grace at all times.

 _She's so similar to Saber…it's uncanny, even her eyes are the same color...her composure is unrivaled._

"Aura can be used by any being with a soul be it Humans, Faunus, even animals may sometimes meet the requirements to unlock it."

Velvet could not help but smile at Shirou's focused enthusiasm at learning more about aura. The entire course he followed Ms. Goodwitch's explanation to the letter and ever had the corresponding textbook open for additional clarification. It was as if he strove to understand every aspect of it…and she was not far off.

"Recognition of your own aura and its status is key," Ms. Goodwitch started towards the end of the lesson. "You must ever be self-conscious of your current state lest you leave yourself vulnerable once it is depleted. We have just enough time left for a single spar…Ms. Velvet Scarlatina please step forward."

Velvet's ears practically shot straight up at mention of her name, suddenly regretting sitting so close to the front.

"Me, ma'am?"

"Indeed, please step to the front of the class."

Velvet looked over at Shirou; he could see how nervous she was. To help puter mind at ease he gave her a thumbs up of encouragement

"You got this," he whispered.

Nodding in return, Velvet stepped out from around the desk, shuffling towards the front which Shirou only then noticed was certainly large enough to be used as a small arena.

"Now then, who shall we have face you today?"

Shirou raised his hand proudly.

"Excellent Mister…Laguna Almand."

Shirou snapped around, realizing the blue-eyed boy from the other day had raised his hand behind him first. He did not like the pompous smile he had adopted as he strolled to the front. Velvet's renewed confidence at Shirou's reassurance seemed spent already. The two stepped to opposite ends of the field with Ms. Goodwitch in the center.

"Now then, we will be following tournament rules same as your previous combat schools. You both will spar until one's aura is in the red or I call the match. In addition, you shall rely on aura and martial weapons only; use of dust is strictly prohibited. I want you both to be aware of your own status and display the appropriate tactics based on your reserves remaining."

Shirou eyed the sword slung across the 1st year student's back, analyzing the design. As seemed to be the case with every weapon in this world it served two functions. On the outside it appeared to be an ornate albeit oddly-shaped longsword however beneath he could tell there were cartridges and cylinders like those found in firearms. The blade was wider above the cross guard, the design of weapons in this world truly were foreign to his own. The handle was more akin to a gun grip than a hilt with a black finish contrasting against the silver of the blade itself and matching his clothes.

One of the books provided by Ozpin had discussed dust, a substance that allowed wielders to harness the power of the elements for everything from bursts of energy to infused bullets…yet no one ever called it magic…he felt it was for the best to not question their logic.

The two readied themselves, Laguna drawing his…gunblade Shirou decided to call it while Velvet crouched into a combat stance.

"Don't even think of copying me," he heard Laguna whisper harshly to Velvet.

"Begin!"

The young man charged at the rabbit-girl roaring as he swung down with his weapon, Velvet sidestepped and hopped clear narrowly avoiding his follow up chaser swing. Not giving up he jumped into the air after her, bringing his gunblade down in the ground hard where she had just been. He missed her completely as her impressive agility allowed Velvet to strafe around it, delivering a strong kick to the back of his leg, driving him to a knee.

Shirou spotted the shimmer of green where Velvet's foot had struck, a sign his aura had been weakened there. Looking over his own hands he subtly wondered what color his aura would manifest as.

If Laguna was angry before he was infuriated now with his inability to hit his mobile opponent. Taking one hand off his sword he attempted to backhand Velvet across the face. She dodged once more…and jumped right into his trap. Keeping a firm grip on his blade with his other hand Laguna immediately started swinging once Velvet had jumped to the point she would be landing. The sword caught her in the chest, sending her flying across the field sliding to a stop.

Shirou lurched to his feet but Ms. Goodwitch motioned for him to sit, his teammate's aura level had taken a hit but was barely above the red. The books had specified that serious injury was an impossibility as long as the aura remained stable…but Shirou didn't trust such assertions without seeing them for himself.

Not even giving Velvet time to recover, Laguna pressed his advantage hoping to finish the match before she could get up. Shirou spotted a glimmer of light from the box on her back.

Laguna looked on in restrained horror as his weapon shattered before his very eyes. Velvet had materialized a holographic copy of Berserker's sword she had taken a picture of the previous day. She appeared to have fallen back on her timid nature, relying on the blade as a giant shield unaware of how effective it worked in that regard. Despite being an energy copy of Shirou's…the brutish, unforgiving nature of the weapon was ever prevalent. Her weapon scattered on impact simultaneously with her opponent's.

"L-Leonart…" He stuttered, only holding the grip and several inches of shattered metal left in his hand. "You counterfeit huntress!" He raised the remains of his weapon over his head.

Before he could complete his swing an invisible force seized Laguna, dragging him across the field until he was standing as far from Velvet as possible without being ringed out.

"I believe that is enough for today," Ms. Goodwitch sternly asserted. Her riding crop was drawn and seemed to have been the force responsible for the removal of Laguna from the battle. "Based on current aura levels Mr. Almand is the victor, though I compliment your usage of a defensive posture in the face of your weakened aura Ms. Scarlatina."

"She broke my weapon!" He complained, holding out the shattered remains as proof.

"That is ever a possibility in battle. You may speak with Professor Port in regards to requisitioning repair parts. For now, please take a seat."

He ignored her commands; taking two additional steps towards Velvet still crouched in the corner. Ms. Goodwitch stepped between them, her riding crop slapping the young man in the shoulder and stopping his advance.

"I said…take…your…seat. Ms. Scarlatina you may be seated as well."

Velvet hastily complied, retreating back to her spot beside Shirou who locked eyes on Laguna, his gaze determined and inescapable. Letting out an exasperated gasp the frustrated student turned, storming out of the room entirely with his broken weapon as the bell rang to signal the end of class.

"You don't have to be afraid of him," Shirou assured Velvet as they walked out together. "You are stronger than him…"

"I'm…I'm not," Velvet counted as she barely held back tears. "Even there…I had to rely on you to stand a chance. If it weren't for that sword…I'm…just a fake huntress."

 _And I'm a fake hero._

"There's nothing that says a fake can't defeat the real thing," Shirou repeated his sentiments from the forest. He would be damned if he would let her confidence slip into the void because of those who felt threatened by it. "Why did you choose to become a huntress?"

Velvet looked up at him, her mind clearly racing trying to discover the spark that had set her on the path she now walked.

"To...to save people. To protect people who couldn't fend for themselves against the Grimm."

 _Such selfless reasons…a real hero._

"If that is true…then you should never feel as if your talents are worthless." His speech had grown so certain even Velvet's hesitation started to crack. "If you are able to save even a single life with them…then it's worth it."

Velvet's ears started to unfold once more, a sure sign he was getting through to her…but he decided to sweeten the pot.

"Tell you what…if you promise me that you won't belittle your own talents and do all you can to improve…I will show you a different weapon every day to take photos of that I can assure you no one will have ever seen here. Deal?"

Velvet's ears were tall again, not only that but her genuine smile of enthusiasm had returned where it belonged.

"Y-you have that many?"

 _Enough for a lifetime._

"Of course…I swear," he replied sincerely. "If you want to get some training in later today I can show one then."

Velvet looked like she could have kissed Shirou in that moment, she leaned forward to grip him in another inescapable hug. Regrettably, it was that point that the device called a scroll started to buzz in his pocket.

 _So it is a phone._

"H-hello?" He answered, taking a step back and narrowly dodging her closing embrace.

"Good afternoon Mr. Emiya," it was Professor Ozpin. "I just wanted to ensure your scroll was properly functioning and that all was well on your first day."

"It's…fine," he answered, stepping away a bit so Velvet couldn't hear with a raised finger asking her for a moment of privacy. "Have…you found anything?"

"Only that my previous assertions were correct, your…acquaintance did not appear in the Emerald Forest. I have had my associates checking their respective regions, but regrettably I have found nothing of a blonde demigod with unlimited weapons…I imagine he would stand out."

"I want to start looking for him, all I need is a place to start for information and I can…"

"Please Mr. Emiya…just give us time," he begged. "Rushing into this won't help anyone. If what you say is true we are facing something our world has never seen…and you would be heading out into a land you do not know yet. Use the free time to improve yourself and learn. Who knows…you may actually come to enjoy your life in Beacon and Vale."

Shirou could not fault his words, as it stood there was no chance of using his reality marble if they did fight. If Gilgamesh had recovered from his own injuries…

"Perhaps...a few weeks," Shirou acquiesced. "But if you find ANY sign…"

"You will be the first to know. Do join me for drinks sometime if you can…my office doors are always open."

Shirou disconnected the call, sighing heavily as he noticed Velvet was looking at him quizzically from across the room. Trying to act calmer than he felt, he returned to her.

"So…what was the next subject? I think I saw something about learning the various fauna we may need when fighting Grimm…"

 **Beacon Dormitories.**

The young man, Laguna Almand, shuffled as he waited for his scroll signal to get through. He was absolutely livid, the fact she was a Faunus overshadowed by the even greater insult…she was nothing more than a copycat raising herself up off the hard work of her betters. Not only that, but for her to use it to shatter the sword he had meticulously built and perfected at his esteemed combat academy…he couldn't let that stand.

"You've got sixty seconds," the voice immediately warned the instant his call connected.

"I need a weapon, the best one you've got."

"It'll cost ya; we got some pretty good merchandise."

"Money is no object," that was Laguna's favorite phrase. He had more than enough from his father to spend as he saw fit. "I want the strongest available."

The voice paused, clearly mulling over his offer.

"Well…we did recently acquire a new item I think you'll absolutely love…"

 **Conflict seems to follow Shirou wherever he goes. With a determined drive he works to make Velvet the best huntress…and hero he knows she can be.** **As always, Read and Review, but most of all Enjoy! :)**


	4. A Trace of a Hero

**Another big shout out to everyone reading! You guys are what are making this story what it is…I hope you continue to enjoy Shirou's tale in Remnant! :)**

 **Time passes at Beacon, knowledge is gathered, bonds reinforced, and obstacles overcome. Can the courage to continue down the chosen path be passed on to the next generation?**

Velvet ducked beneath Yatsuhashi's slice, bringing the weapon in her hands up to strike his gut. His aura shimmered but not enough to signify true injury; they were only sparring after all. Shirou watched from the sidelines with Coco.

Shirou had been true to his word over the two weeks since he started attending Beacon Academy. Every day, after classes let out, he and Velvet would meet up by the sparring yard and he would trace a new weapon for her. He started simple, replicating several of the numerous blades he had gleamed from Gilgamesh's treasury that were destroyed during their confrontation. Velvet's semblance was quite impressive, all he had to do was showcase the technique associated with the weapon's use once and she could mimic it flawlessly.

Her creations from the generator on her back were not true copies, but rather replicas made from an energy referred to as "hard-light." Despite appearing to be little more than a silhouette of the original, they were surprisingly durable. On top of that, her weapons somehow retained the mass to do damage but not the weight associated with it. His jaw had just about hit the floor upon seeing her easily hold Berserker's axe-blade again one-handed. She was in the process of practicing with the latest weapon he had summoned for her.

Gáe Bolg, the spear wielded by Lancer was now present in her hand. Expertly she twirled around and jabbed it towards Yatuhashi's chest, missing purposefully so as to not waste the energy. If only the weapons could last longer, Velvet would be even more formidable. Seeing her move was like watching Lancer himself, though her speed and power were still restricted to her physical limitations.

In addition, she could only create a single projection per photograph taken. Shirou had questioned if she could make more to which Velvet timidly replied she wouldn't want to test it, the energy output from more than a handful at the same time would be enormous and could quickly become unstable. Despite her trepidation, it was clear that Shirou had awakened an inspiration within her. After discussing the dangers of multiple constructs she mentioned she would look into it.

Shirou had not been idle as Velvet improved herself, while he was far from the top student at Beacon; Ms. Goodwitch had called him certainly the most devoted and Professor Port had praised his attentiveness in his combat courses. Shirou had initially hung on his every word as he regaled the class with his accomplishments against the creatures of Grimm. It had taken nearly a week to realize why most of the class would often seem half asleep during the long…long winded anecdotes of his youth.

He now understood that his aura was his own power, similar to od he was familiar with, but did not run the risk of harming him if depleted from use. For the meantime he would have to rely on them, he had sapped all of the mana Rin had shared with him before his fight with Gilgamesh...and he was most certainly not going to test with Coco or Velvet if the transfer ritual was even possible in Remnant. He could still feel his od separate from the aura he had unlocked in the Emerald Forest, however using aura as a substitute was much safer.

The many days tracing weapons for Velvet had an added bonus of improving his usage with aura. Each time he crafted a weapon he built upon it, tempered and reinforced them, learning how to harness it as he had before. He was steadily approaching the competence he had before being deposited in Remnant. Despite his improvement, he could not rest.

He met with Professor Ozpin every few days at first…steadily making it every other day to check on updates regarding his search for Gilgamesh. Regardless of how many times he drank with him, not a single sighting, disturbance or clue had revealed itself since his arrival…not one! Their visits often times became catch ups with the aging Headmaster asking how Shirou had been acclimating to the school and Remnant, like he was trying to be his father. His worry that the King of Heroes could show up while he was unprepared grew daily.

"Shirou…hey!" He heard Coco shout followed closely by a pebble conking him in the head. "I know Velvet is cute and all but you were like a zombie there for a minute."

Shirou rubbed his head where the projectile had struck, "Oh, sorry," he replied. "I was just…thinking about the exam."

"Well don't, that's an order as team leader," she pointed a finger in his face, leaning forward to gaze up at him over her shades. "We have a long weekend coming up; work not related to fun or fighting is strictly off limits."

In the background Yatsuhashi and Velvet finished sparring, her copy of Gáe Bolg fading out of existence. Shirou had leaned his own version against the wall until it too would eventually disappear. To replenish her reserve of photographs, she immediately started taking more pictures.

While snapping photos, Velvet's scroll suddenly buzzed to signal a newly received message. With a curious expression as to who it might be she read it over. It was subtle, but Shirou noticed her eyes widen for half a heartbeat before returning to normal. Without a word, she returned the scroll to her pouch.

"With you guys in top shape we'll be a shoo-in to win the Vytal Festival next year," Coco announced proudly. "Do you even have a limit for that thing?"

"Huh?" Velvet asked, she looked distracted and had missed Coco's question.

"Your camera silly, do you have a limit?"

"I…don't know," she replied hesitantly. "Every picture uses space, but I built it to compress the data as small as possible. I…I've never tested its maximum capacity."

"Well, keep picking up everything you can and you'll have an unbeatable arsenal in no time. They'll never know what hit em!"

Shirou glanced over at Velvet. Ever since the match against Laguna he noticed she had become far more conservative about taking pictures. Other than their daily sessions, he couldn't recall her taking a single photo of the other students despite her clear desire to.

 _Something is going on…_

 **Team CVEY Dormitory…Nightfall.**

The four teammates seemed to be sleeping soundly, each one in their various preferred positions. The window had been left open, allowing a cool breeze to howl through the room. All was peaceful…until Velvet stirred from beneath her covers.

The young woman was already dressed in her combat attire, clearly having had no plans to sleep that night. With the quietest of steps she crept towards the door, opening it silently and slipping out.

 _Sorry Shirou…everyone…I need to do this._

She looked over the scroll message she had received at training that day. It was from Laguna whom they had not heard from since the duel. Each day he sat silently in the back never uttering a word unless called upon. She had hoped he was simply ignoring them out of some protest at being in the same class as her, unfortunately it seemed that was not the case.

He had challenged her to a rematch, no rules, no restrictions…and no audience. Velvet's first instinct had been to tell Coco, Yatsuhashi…Shirou and think of the best option to confront him, but she dismissed it. All this time her team had been pushing her to be more confident in herself, surer of what she could do. If she wanted to do that, she couldn't rely on them for everything. She would face him herself and with any luck that would be the end of it. She had so many weapons Shirou had shown her now at her disposal.

Velvet snuck through the school under the cover of night, making her way to the amphitheater where the welcoming ceremonies had taken place. With no events currently planned, the stage was eerily deserted…yet the lights were on.

"I'm surprised a phony like you decided to come."

Velvet spun, revealing Laguna in his full huntsman attire emerging from the shadows. He had a long wrapped package slung across his back, based on the length it was likely his repaired gunblade. With the smile on his face he looked utterly terrifying.

"S-say whatever you want about my style!" She proclaimed, trying to hide the hesitation in her voice. "I want to be a huntress just as much as you want to be a huntsman. To protect people!"

"The people deserve better than a thief like you," he snapped. With a smooth motion he pulled the long item from his back. With the way he was holding the base it was unmistakably a weapon. "It was enough for Beacon to allow Faunus without restriction, but one that works off the backs of others...It ends here. Once I shatter that camera of yours you won't take anyone else's."

With a tug of the cord, the red material fell away, fluttering to the ground and leaving Velvet perplexed. The weapon in his hands was not his old gunblade, it was…a sword.

The blade looked old yet was pristine, there was no doubting that. Velvet had never seen its equal, so perfect was its surface she could see her warped reflection in the surface even from how far she was. The hilt was incredibly ornate with alternating patterns of blue and gold forming a cross shape handle surrounded by a gold circle with a glistening blue gem at the base of the pommel. Other than its stunning appearance, it was a sword, and only a sword. She couldn't remember the last time she had seen such an antiquated design, according to Doctor Oobleck, they had been practically the only style utilized before the invention of modern weapons.

In a flash, Laguna was on the move, racing to close the distance as he gripped his newly acquired weapon with two hands. Velvet jumped back for more room, her projector humming to life as a form appeared in her hands. Swinging Yatsuhashi's blade she clashed with the outdated sword.

Velvet yelped in surprise as her replica shattered instantly, the sword deflected off her own, clipping her in the arm. Her aura was the only thing preventing injury though it flickered at the impact. She dropped down, already preparing her next weapon, raining a hail of gunfire down on Laguna's position with Coco's gatling gun. Despite her best efforts the man kept up, dodging or parrying each shot expertly. Ducking and weaving in and out of fire he closed the distance, once again dispatching her weapon with a slash across the barrel, destroying it before she could use even half its potential.

"Keep relying on forgeries," Laguna mocked. "I will cut through them all!"

Velvet raised her hand to counter attack even before the next weapon she had was ready. Avoiding his lethal blade she swung her new choice.

An impressive battle-axe caught Laguna in the hip, knocking him away for some room. Flipping Professor Port's weapon of choice over she took aim with the blunderbuss feature, releasing an impressive blast. Laguna cut her attack in half, causing the remains to miss completely, exploding harmlessly behind him.

 _I didn't want to rely on them,_ Velvet sighed as her weapon disappeared. _But I have no choice._ Crouching low she prepared her next weapon.

"They won't save you!" Laguna yelled as he chased her, with an angered grunt her performed a powerful downward slash.

A blade similar to Laguna's parried his blow. The greatest noticeable difference was the handguard which was far more simplistic, a single unadorned bar curved upward. Had it been more than a hard-light copy, the handle would have been an identical gold color to the one in Laguna's hands. Velvet remembered Shirou had called it "Gram."

"Just because I don't recognize the weapon doesn't stop it from being a fake," he growled.

Velvet ignored his quip, pressing forward and ducking under his strikes just like the footwork Shirou had shown her. With each weapon he showed her his lesson had also included the style associated with it and she had been teaching herself to use them in differing situations. Closing the gap, she decked Laguna hard in the chest with her shoulder, slashing Gram across his chest.

Laguna fell back, his aura shimmering at the blow. Velvet could not imitate the weapon to the extent of Shirou's, but she was improving, by her estimates she could get one more impact before it was used up. She had to make it count, she couldn't waste it trying to parry, each of the photographs provided by Shirou meant too much to her.

Laguna was absolutely enraged, gripping the handle tightly he rushed her. A moment before he was in range he ducked low, slicing upward diagonally. Velvet bent with his angle, the cut missing her contorting body by the smallest of margins, only succeeding in cutting several thin strands of her long brown hair. With one hand, a feat that would have normally required incredible strength, she swung sideways, catching Laguna across the gut as her copy of Gram shimmered out of existence.

The young man tumbled backwards, his emerald aura shattering at the blow. He had no more defense left to rely upon.

"There," Velvet asserted, standing back to her full height. "It's over, just promise you will leave me and my friends alo…"

She had assumed Laguna would have conceded at the breaking of his aura, serious injury could follow otherwise. In his anger he had ignored his vulnerable state, clearing the distance between them so fast she had no time to construct another weapon. Laguna swung down with a power slash aiming at the exposed box on her hip.

A moment before he would have cleaved Velvet's masterpiece in two his attack was intercepted. A pair of curved swords interlocked in an "X" to protect the young Faunus-girl.

"Shirou!" She called out cheerily despite the sinking feeling in her gut that he had to get involved.

The young man showed no qualms against stepping in; he would have done so earlier had he realized her disappearance from the room sooner. He would not let Laguna near her, and also had to ask him a very important question. The look on his face was so serious it made even Velvet nervous.

"Where…did you get that sword?"

Shirou's gaze darted from his eyes to the golden blade in his hand, its identity unmistakable, a Noble Phantasm. It was the very weapon Gilgamesh summoned to end his life once the mana supporting his reality marble had collapsed, the original sword that would one day be wielded by Gaius Julius Caesar and be known as Crocea Mors. It had been the first thing pulled into the vortex before either of them.

 _How did he get it?_

"What does that have to do with…?" Laguna started to ask before being driven back by Shirou. He gasped in surprise that the sword he had been guaranteed would break anything it came into contact with was being beaten by the married blades of Velvet's teammate. In that moment, Shirou's constructs were tempered more masterfully than ever in Remnant at the clue to Gilgamesh's whereabouts that had dropped into his lap.

"Where?" He pressed again with his words and his arms. "Tell me!"

"Why should I?" He countered, barely holding his ground.

"Because I happen to know the original owner, and he would NEVER part with it under any circumstances. If you stole it…he will be coming for you."

"I bought it fair and square! If you want to know who from you'll have to beat me first." Without any warning he cut sideways, Shirou barely parrying his attack, the sword skimming the surface of his arm. His aura shimmered, the same light blue, nearly teal energy that crackled in his hands when tracing weapons.

 _So that's my aura's color…_

"Fair enough," Shirou whispered.

Laguna kicked off his opponent's chest, flying across the stage for some distance. Only after landing and righting himself did he realize Shirou's twin weapons had vanished. Instead he held out his hands as if to grip a heavy sword.

"Trace…on," he whispered as energy began to crackle once more. "Saber…"

A beautiful longsword appeared in his hand similar to Gram based on the shape of the curved golden handguard, but that was where the commonalities ended. The base of the blade was ornately designed with alternating patterns of blue and gold reminiscent of the one in Laguna's hands; runes were etched above them leading up the length of the steel. Near the tip, Velvet could make out two more symbols engraved in blue of what appeared to be a sword and sheath. Had she not already fallen in love with Kanshou and Bakuya, the young Faunus-girl would have asserted it was the most beautiful sword she had ever seen. She could not resist producing her camera, setting the shutter to go off at regular intervals automatically so as to not miss a thing.

Even Laguna could tell the sword in his hands was extraordinary. Unfortunately, the aggravated young man was running on adrenaline, gripping his dubiously acquired Noble Phantasm, he rushed their side of the stage. Shirou did not even attempt to move, planting his feet, he gripped the blade known as Caliburn with both hands. He could not unlock its full power alone…but he didn't need all of it. Laguna did not know the name of the weapon in his hands…without that he could not hope to scratch the surface of its potential either. As Laguna neared, the blade sang through the air.

The lesser blade shattered in the young man's hand just as Shirou had intended, to destroy the leftover blade of Gilgamesh. The shockwave sent Laguna tumbling backwards amidst the shards of now-useless metal. For the second time, his actions had resulted in the destruction of an amazing weapon. Shirou approached his fallen enemy, planting the sword downward into the ground to lean on slightly. Without meaning to, he nearly mimicked Saber's posture perfectly when meting out judgments with the blade so long ago…

"Where…did you buy the sword?" He repeated.

Laguna stared up in awe, he hated Shirou and his teammate, they both could do such things so effortlessly, in his mind, only thanks to others. He had seen Shirou training with CVEY the last few weeks…seen him create forgeries other weapons just like the rabbit. He hated them so much, yet regardless of his feelings he could not bring himself to lie. Perhaps he was afraid for his life; perhaps he could sense the air of command emanating from the echo of the blade in front of him…in the end it did not matter as his lips began to move on their own.

"Junior…I bought it from a nightclub owner in Vale named Junior." He answered weakly, slumping back to the ground, not even attempting to get up.

Shirou recognized the name; apparently the locale was a real hot spot among older students. Coco had attempted to get him to go partying with her and Velvet a few days ago with fake IDs…he had respectfully declined. Nodding in understanding, Shirou turned to leave, Laguna clearly having the fight drained out of him. Before he could get very far, he noticed Velvet had remained behind, kneeling down before Laguna to be at the same eye level.

"Here," she handed him a photograph from her camera. "If you didn't want me to use it…all you had to do was ask."

Laguna looked at the picture; it was of him on the first day at Beacon heading to the opening ceremonies. He was wandering in a crowd of new students; it was obvious, based on the angle, that the image had been taken focusing on his gunblade, he'd named it Leonart, the weapon he had worked so hard to make.

"It's the only one I took of your old weapon," she muttered, her shy nature returning now that the battle had ended. "It was…a very dignified weapon. It's too bad you decided to get a new one." With that final word she rushed off to catch up with Shirou who had stopped at the entrance to wait for her.

 _She is kind even to her enemies._

The beaten man just sat there staring at it, remembering every step of the process he had refined to create something he considered wholly his own. The fire inside him of that being taken away started to burn low, replaced instead with the desire to improve. Maybe, just maybe, he could focus on that drive…and make it even better. Sniffling, he staggered to his feet, sliding the photo gently into his pocket.

 _I should probably contact Professor Port…I'm going to need a lot of parts._

 **Professor Ozpin's Office…The Next Day…**

"I am delighted you could join me again," Professor Ozpin smiled as he produced a tray of drinks and asked his preference as always. "Coffee or tea?"

"Tea," Shirou replied out of politeness, but he was anxious to reveal what he had found.

"Sugar?"

"No thank you."

Ozpin set down the tray, turning it so the ornate tea set was closer to Shirou while the coffee remained within his own reach. No matter how many times he had a drink with the Headmaster he seemed to have a different tea set and coffee mugs available, he must be a collector. Shirou proceeded to explain the weapon Laguna had purchased and its connection to Gilgamesh, ending with the knowledge that it had come from a seedy club in Vale.

"He has to be associated with that club," Shirou concluded. "If we move now we can find out how."

Ozpin set down his empty cup, leaning back into his chair, his hand squeezing his cane tightly.

"We are well aware of this…Junior's connections. He is an information broker, occasionally renting out hired thugs for various purposes…all of which are quite small time. I doubt a…power mad demigod, as I believe you last described him last we spoke, would be interested in such a place."

"But if he got his hands on one of Gilgamesh's weapons…he has to know something!"

"We will monitor his establishment," Ozpin assured him. "If this Gilgamesh character is seen within a mile of the club, we will know it."

"But I can head out there…I know him better than anyone here!"

"That would be ill advised," the Professor's mood darkened as his tone grew serious. "We use Junior's establishment for our own information gathering needs. If a student at Beacon were to cause trouble there…it could jeopardize a dozen investigations at least."

"I can still find something, just let me…"

"Mr. Emiya," the Headmaster's tone became sterner. "I was young like you…long ago. I know how it feels that you must take action immediately…but I assure you, doing so unnecessarily only leads to more sorrow. Believe me when I tell you have made more mistakes than any man, woman and child on this planet and am well aware of such things. If you go out there…I will not be able to help you as I have…"

"There…there must be SOMETHING we can do?"

"Not for the moment," Ozpin sighed. "Your studies have been coming along but you are far from the strength needed to deal with such a foe as you have described. Please, I implore you…be at peace while at Beacon, study with your team and friends. You can find a life here Mr. Emiya…if you will let it in."

"But if Gilgamesh kills anyone…"

"He has not yet, and at present we have no evidence to suggest he will. Are you even certain he came through with you?"

"I am…I saw him fall through, he has to be…he…"

"Could have ended up literally anywhere," Ozpin finished. "It is impossible for one to predict the winds of fate or where they blow. Past events do not dictate the future."

Shirou just leaned back in his seat; he didn't know what to say. Even the tea didn't taste quite as fresh…the fact that Ozpin could essentially do nothing to help had soured the flavor. His words were technically wise but did nothing to alleviate the tension in Shirou's chest.

"Another?" Ozpin asked, ever cordial despite Shirou's empty stare. He nodded a reply, accepting another cup of the steaming beverage.

 **Beacon Halls…**

Velvet waited outside, Shirou had been inside with the Headmaster for quite a long time and she grew worried. At long last he emerged, closing the door quietly behind him.

"Is…everything okay?" She asked, patting him on the back as it seemed he needed it.

"Yea," he nodded, though it wasn't very convincing. Velvet could see right through him.

"You know…they are holding a little festival in town tomorrow," she stood up on her tippy-toes, putting her hands behind her back timidly in her attempt to raise his spirits. "Coco and Yatsuhashi want to go too...and there are supposed to be a lot of activities and events going on."

Shirou smiled at his teammate, laying a hand on her shoulder.

"That sounds like a lot of fun; we'll have to head over early tomorrow. Come on, we don't want to be late for class…I can show you one more weapon before curfew."

Velvet's ears twitched happily at his kind words, however as she walked with him to their next course on Remnant Geography she could not help but feel that his smile was…flat. It was as if he was mimicking what a smile should be and failing due to lacking the emotion associated with it.

 **Team CVEY Dormitory…that Night…**

Once more, the peace of night in the dorms was broken. Subtly, Shirou slipped out of his bed already fully dressed. Of the clothes he had been given by Professor Ozpin he had selected long blue jeans and a white short-sleeved shirt. Over top it he wore a red and black jacket to keep away the chill in the air…it would be a long trip to Vale. In his current attire no one could guess he was from Beacon and thus wouldn't bring any scrutiny on the school if the situation grew…complicated.

He couldn't heed the Headmaster's words, if Gilgamesh was potentially nearby he had to stop him…if he didn't then anyone he harmed going forward would be on him. Glancing about the room he spotted Coco and Yatsuhashi fast asleep, Velvet was burrowed within her den of blankets and sheets…her adorable ears still sticking out.

"Sorry Velvet," he whispered solemnly. He had enjoyed his brief time at Beacon, Yatsuhashi's quiet kindness, Coco's eccentric nature…and Velvet…just Velvet. Something inside told him he wouldn't see its towers again for a very long time.

Grabbing a pre-packed satchel of supplies, Shirou made his exit out the window, thanking circumstance that their dorm was beside a conveniently planted tree. With any luck, he could catch one of the last flights to Vale and be there by morning before anyone noticed his absence. If the stories were true, the club would most certainly still be open at that hour.

His escape plan was fool-proof, he had accounted for every contingency…except the shifting of the cute brown ears protruding from his partner's sheets, ears with far superior hearing to anyone currently attending Beacon…

 **Shirou chooses the route of hunting down Gilgamesh over remaining at Beacon with newfound friends and allies. Setting off following the trail, will his obsession lead him to his intended goal…or ultimate ruin? As always Read and Review, but most all Enjoy! :)**


	5. All that Glitters is not Gold

**Shirou has left his newfound home at Beacon and friends behind to seek out Gilgamesh. With a clue dropped into his lap he finds himself on course for a nightclub of questionable background. However, that night he is not the only one seeking answers from the dubious establishment…**

The car pulled up to the building, paying the driver for the ride, Shirou waved him off. Despite being so far outside the club, Shirou could already hear the music. The building was quite large, if he had to guess, it had once been a warehouse of some sort and repurposed into a nightclub. Sighing heavily, he made his way over.

Based on the number of vehicles outside it must have been a popular time of night. The front entrance looked more like vault doors than those of a bar…considering they deal in stolen weapons he figured he shouldn't be surprised. The front door had two large burly men wearing dark black suits devoid of any other color save the red of their ties and sunglasses. They didn't even question his presence as Shirou walked right in. With his red and black sports jacket and blue jeans he probably fit right in.

 _That's right…I am just here to party._

The music blared as he entered the building; taking the stairs leading down into a large dance room filled with party goers. Despite the upbeat music you could really dance to, there was a noticeable lack of real color to be found. Everything from the glass floor, strobe lights above and oddly decorative pillars were either black or white. At regular intervals the color scheme would switch and bathe the room in an ominous red glow…but as far as he could tell, those were the three lone lighting tones selected for the club.

Shirou was at a loss for words as he eyed the booth in the distance. The man DJing for the club was identical to the guards outside from the neck down…however on his head was an enormous red and black bear helmet. The face of the man inside could be seen through the open mouth. No one else seemed to bat and eye so Shirou just lowered his head and moved on.

Laguna had mentioned he'd gotten the sword from the owner, a man named Junior. Shirou spotted his target almost instantly, one of the few NOT wearing a jacket though he still had the rest of the suit attire underneath. He had dark hair and a full beard, based on the fringes of wrinkles forming around his eyes Shirou guessed him to be nearing forty years old.

Trying to stay unnoticed, Shirou approached the bar; leaning taking a seat atop one of the stools before realizing Junior was in the middle of a discussion with a man with red hair dressed in a white coat and bowler hat. He was leaning on and twirling a cane as they spoke.

"They're some of my best, I assure you."

"Yea yea, save the speeches buddy I am a very busy man," the tall man remarked haughtily. "As long as they can get the job done, just send them my way, payment will be at the usual spot."

Junior only sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose wearily.

"Fine, just take em."

"Pleasure as always," with that final word, he sauntered off, whistling merrily all the way out the door.

"Rough night?" Shirou asked the groaning owner as he slumped over the bar.

"You have no idea," he glanced over, looking Shirou up and down. "What's a kid like you doing here?"

"Looking for information," he replied bluntly. "I hear you're the man to talk to about swords of exquisite quality."

Junior raised an eyebrow, waving off a pair of girls who had been coming up behind him. He was interested now.

"Who wants to know?"

"The name's Shirou…and I am looking for where you got this."

Shirou produced one of Velvet's photos from within his jacket. It was the one she had taken just before his confrontation against Laguna. With the updated auto feature, her camera had taken several before the fight…he only needed one for his mission and would return it later. Junior took the photo, eyeing it up and down. His expression never changed from a dull fascination.

"Doesn't ring a bell," he finally answered, returning the picture.

Shirou stared flatly back. "Really? Because the current owner mentioned his purchase was from here…and I happen to know the original owner would never have parted with it easily."

"Dunno what to say kid, that sword looked pretty old, could be you're mistaken."

"Mista..?" Shirou started before being bumped by another patron making their way to the bar. The newcomer stepped right between them, interrupting his investigation.

"Strawberry Sunrise…no ice, oh and one of those little umbrellas."

Junior and Shirou both simultaneously stared at the woman standing in front of them. She was clearly looking to be noticed as she had ordered just loud enough to catch their attention…and her outfit spoke louder.

From top to bottom she was wearing an orange scarf around her neck and a tan jacket leaving her midriff bare and a low-cut yellow crop top beneath. She wore the shortest pants Shirou had ever seen below a brown belt with odd matching flaps on either side giving it a skirt vibe though they barely covered her legs ending in knee-high boots. Her hair was less blonde and more blazing gold cascading down her back towards her waist. Her wide lilac eyes were absolutely entrancing.

 _That is….a lot of hair…_

"What is with the kids in my club today," Junior groaned. "Aren't you a little young to be in this club, Blondie?"

The girl turned her head towards him with a giggle, ignoring Shirou except for a quick apologetic wink.

"Aren't you a little old to have a name like Junior?"

"You know who I am too?" He was not having a good night. "You got a name sweetheart?"

"Yes Junior, I've got several," she teased, leaning in close to the club owner. "But instead of sweetheart, you can just call me SIR!"

In a single quick motion she lashed out, grabbing Junior's crotch with what sounded like a powerful grip clamping down on him. Junior's eyes practically shot out of his head in pain as he leaned forward towards her out of reflex. Even Shirou instinctively flinched, subtly crossing his legs.

"Just give me a minute hun, thanks" she smiled at Shirou who stared blankly, not knowing how to react. "People say you know everything." Yang produced her scroll with the image of a woman with long black hair. "Tell me where I can find her and I'll let you go."

 _Wonder if that would have worked for me._

"I've…never seen her before…I swear," Junior answered, his voice several octaves higher than usual.

"Excuse me?" The girl demanded, her grip tightening.

"I swear…SIR!"

"And what about the sword?" Shirou stepped in, not about to miss a chance at free information. "Who did you get it from?"

"I…I can't," Junior started before a squeezing sound alerted them that Yang had tightened her grip. "Th-the White Fang," He admitted immediately. "S-some fanatic with bull horns, red hair and a sword, he sold it to me a few weeks back for a hefty sum…though I gouged that rich boy for more."

"And where can I find him?"

The blonde girl seemed to be absolutely enjoying the club owner's torment. Despite the fact she had received the information she sought, her grip remained tight for Shirou's questions.

"Dunno, he moves a lot…but I know he needed some supplies…going to hit the Kingdom Industrial Train passing through on the way to Atlas this afternoon…I swear…SIR!"

"Hmmm, looks like we have an audience." Yang whispered in his ear. "This must be kind of embarrassing for you huh? Awkwaaaard."

Only then did Shirou realize that every suit-clad attendee on the dance floor had taken an interest in their exchange. They were all armed with weapons ranging from fire axes and red machetes to pistols. Each of them was trained on the blonde girl and himself, just waiting for an opening when they didn't have to worry about hitting their boss.

"Listen…Blondie…SIR; if you and your boyfriend want to make it out of this club alive…I suggest you let me go…NOW!"

"What? We're not…"

She released her grip on Junior with a smile, acting as if she had done absolutely nothing wrong. The older man gasped a sigh of relief, his face was absolutely fuming.

"You'll both pay for that," he groaned, standing to his full height, he started heading towards his men. Shirou noticed he slipped on a pair of red sunglasses similar to the others in the room…no doubt trying to hide how bloodshot his eyes had gotten straining in the blonde girl's vice-like grip.

"Oh Junior, I was just playing with you," she continued acting sweet as honey, slipping her hands behind her back as if she was a kid apologizing for tracking mud through the house. "Don't be so sensitive."

She followed Junior to the middle of the dance floor, Shirou keeping pace beside her upon realizing all of the henchmen, bouncers and shady-looking individuals were slowly surrounding them.

"Come on, let's kiss and make up okay?"

"Huh?" Shirou and Junior muttered simultaneously, both quite confused…what did she just ask him to do?

"Uh…okay," Junior agreed, his eyes clearly running up and down the beautiful stranger's body. Shirou had to agree she was quite attractive, yet had to be half the suited-man's age at most. He shook his head at Junior's complete willingness to go along with it. The two closed their eyes and started leaning closer, lips puckered in preparation.

 _Not how I expected the day to begin. But as long as peace is kept, then we can get out of here and I can find this…_

Shirou's naïve plans shattered as a moment before their lips met, the golden-haired beauty's right fist suddenly appeared, barreling into Junior's face. It had been so fast Shirou could barely follow it. The beaten and humiliated club owner blasted backwards, shattering one of the glass pillars producing the ambient light.

Shirou and the girl immediately fell back to back; the gathered room of underground fighters-for hire cocked their guns and prepared their swords. A fight was now inevitable as they awaited word that their boss was alright.

"Was that truly necessary?" Shirou chastised.

"Way more fun this way, though you are free to kiss him if you want…the name's Yang by the way." As she introduced herself, the girl fell into a fighting stance, drawing Shirou's attention to the golden bracelets on her wrists now unfolding into intimidating gauntlets.

"...Shirou," he replied slowly, eyes locked on her armaments.

 _Ember Celica,_ he scanned over the revealed weapons, their name and function becoming known to him. _Fires concealed high impact shells, no swords…but an impressive design nonetheless._

"I hope you can fight," Yang called back. Based on her tone of voice she was absolutely loving the situation they found themselves in. "Got any weapons?"

Shirou glanced around their soon-to be attackers. They were numerous, but that appeared to be it. Their machetes and fire axes were subpar mass produced weapons at best, and judging from their stances there were no masters among them. He focused on the best way of fighting while limiting potential injuries.

"You could say that, trace…on!"

In each of Shirou's hands formed replicas of the red machetes currently being waved towards them. Due to their low-quality his copies were nearly identical to those being wielded by their opponents. Even if he scored direct hits, their auras should protect them.

Yang whistled, clearly impressed as she watched them shimmer into existence.

"Get them!" Junior called out, still nursing a headache as he attempted to stand.

At his command, the collection of bodyguards charged. Shirou lowered his stance and prepared to fight…until he felt Yang's hand on his collar.

"Up we go!" She cried, dragging Shirou high into the air with her as she leapt nearly to the ceiling. Shirou took note that none of the ruffians attempted to follow her up, likely being unable to match her movements. "Wait there."

Yang threw Shirou up higher as she wound back her fist, plummeting to the floor in a colossal dive. With a chipper smile on her face she slammed into the ground, causing a ripple effect and lifting the entire group of attackers off their feet and sailing in all directions. As gravity regained its hold on the young man, he spun in midair, landing several feet beside his new ally.

A fire billowed out from where she had impacted, yet generated no heat. Combined with her unshakable confidence, she was quite intimidating. Even the numerically superior goons hesitated before rushing them again.

 _Did those flames come from her?_

She took the initiative, with enthusiastic gusto the girl took off, barreling into the waves of men. Her movements were tempered and calculated; one by one she delivered devastating upper cuts, right hooks and combos sending her opponents flying. With each blow, Shirou spotted a miniature explosion emerge from her gauntlets as she timed firing her weapon with each attack. Their numerical superiority appeared to be utterly worthless against her.

Shirou sidestepped the first three men who had targeted him, the room seeming to have been split in half as to which went after Yang with the rest focusing on him. Wielding his weapons, he expertly parried each of them before dropping down and clipping their legs out from under them. Jumping up he kicked the first through a nearby wall, the second he punched with the handle of his sword, knocking him out cold.

 _That was easy…do these guys even have aura?_

Another wave rushed Shirou as he scrambled to keep ahead of them, leading the gang around a surviving pillar having just rotated to a red glow. A group of men in the back trained their pistols on him, firing in alternating patterns while avoiding their own fighters.

Shirou flipped around the first wave, twirling the pair of weapons in his hands to deflect what bullets he could not dodge. Using the pillar to limit their line of sight, he worked to incapacitate each one. He caught the first in the chest as he rounded the corner, a follow-up knee to the face as he doubled over in pain. With a push he sent him tumbling into the next attacker who barely had time to raise his axe before both of Shirou's blades collided with it, sending them flying into the far-off wall. As three more opponents rushed him, he crisscrossed his blades to catch all three before they could hit him.

Glancing across the room, it appeared Yang was doing just as well. Already there were unconscious bodies littering the dance floor, like him she was only aiming to incapacitate. She was so focused on her fight she did not seem to notice the DJ in the background had stopped performing and was leaning over his booth with an automatic machine gun.

"Yang!" Shirou called out his impromptu ally's name. He was too far to help her.

In a flash, the DJ's booth came under fire, a hail of bullets shattered the windows and even destroyed the weapon in his hand. The outgunned artist ducked low, the fight clearly knocked out of him.

 _Oh no,_ Shirou groaned as he recognized the ammo. Fearing the worst he turned towards the door.

Velvet was standing at the entrance, a replica of Coco's gatling gun still spinning as she rained devastation down upon the room. The remaining henchmen fell to their bellies or fled behind cover at the unforgiving barrage. Upon locking his eyes onto hers, he witnessed something he thought he may never see.

Despite aiming at the men throughout the room…Velvet's eyes were scowling squarely at his…she was angry.

 _How did she find me?_ Shirou asked over and over again. Alas he did not have time to ponder the answers yet. Velvet had pinned down the bulk of the henchman, however as he and Yang regrouped upon realizing they were clear, he spotted two girls saunter towards them. Apparently they had held back to give the others a chance to prove themselves…they did not look impressed.

"Melanie, who are these two?" She looked them up and down, subtly winking at Shirou.

"I don't know Miltia," the other replied in the identical flat, uncaring tone. "But we should teach them a lesson. A shiver ran up Shirou's spine as she winked at him in the exact same way as the first.

They were twins clearly, nearly identical in every way down to their dark hair and makeup choice. The only real difference was their chosen hair styles and colors of their strapless dresses…until Shirou spotted their weapons.

The girl in red, Miltia apparently, wielded a pair of razor-sharp long red claws mounted to each wrist. Shirou made sure to add them to his repertoire, they may come in handy if he got struck in combat too close for standard weapons.

Her sister, Melanie, did not have any obvious weapons; it took the young man a moment to realize her shoes were weapons themselves. Affixed to each ivory heel was an incredibly sharp blade, both she and her sister's armaments were easily superior to everyone in the club he had seen.

 _Blades on her high heels…I can use that if I need t…_

Shirou instantly slapped himself for even considering tracing a pair of high-heeled shoes…he must have been more fatigued than he'd thought.

Yang just smiled at her new opponents, with a flick of her arms she jettisoned the spent shells from her gauntlets she had used in her own fights. Pulling out a fresh string of ammunition with each hand, she tossed them in the air, catching them perfectly with her arms so that they wrapped around her gauntlets, locking into place with a fresh reload.

"Dibs on the one in the tacky footwear," she gleefully called.

"Fair enough," Shirou agreed, focusing on the ruby fighter with the claws.

The girls split, the one in the white dress cartwheeling towards Yang while the one with the crimson claws flew towards Shirou. He managed to cross his blades, catching her strike before it could reach him. The craftsmanship on her weapons was top notch, his red machetes cracked under their pressure, one snapping clean in half. Shirou kicked off the ground, knocking her back with a spin kick to buy some space.

Miltia recovered quickly, racing towards him, her claws extended and ready to strike. Shirou tossed away his cracked and broken constructs, allowing them to scatter to the winds. She was good…but if he used a noble phantasm against her it would be overkill.

 _She's better than the others by a mile,_ Shirou strategized as he continued to dance around her blows. She was quite fast and several scrapped off his shimmering light-blue aura. In the distance he could see Yang struggling somewhat with the kick-based martial arts of her sister, but she was making progress nonetheless. _I don't have time for this!_

"Trace…on!"

Shirou caught her claws in the grooves of two daggers he had created. They weren't noble phantasms or named weapons…merely twin sword-breaker daggers invented during the Renaissance era of history. As the name suggested, they were built to parry and break long swords or those of similar makes...and Miltia's claws were long enough to almost qualify for swords themselves.

The well-dressed fighter immediately withdrew her claws, confused by the new weapons. Spinning around she performed a high kick towards Shirou's head. He ducked low under her leg, moving to advance on her, blades spinning in his hands. Miltia brought her claws up, slashing for his face.

Shirou leaned back just enough to avoid them, crossing his daggers together he hooked the blades of her left claw between them. With a sharp pull he shattered them instantly, removing one of her weapons, though it also cost him his own that broke simultaneously under the pressure.

"Just one more," he threatened, having already summoned two more sword breakers…ready to strike again.

Miltia grimaced, glancing to the other battle going on for backup, Yang was now brawling against her boss Junior, Melanie groaned across the room lying flat on the ground…beaten by the golden girl. With a grunt, Miltia retreated, prioritizing her sister over continuing their fight. With a relieved sigh, Shirou lowered his weapons.

The henchmen had fled the scene, the club interior was ruined and Yang seemed to have the owner well in hand. His weapon of choice appeared to be a rocket launcher that doubled as a baseball bat…Shirou's new friend was ducking and weaving around them with utter ease. Despite this, Shirou started to run over to assist her.

A small but sturdy hand gripped his wrist…he was too late.

"YOU!" Velvet shouted, pointing a finger right in his face.

"Now is not the best time!" Shirou attempted to explain, she wasn't hearing any of it. "Yang is…"

"Don't change the subject! I thought we meant more to you than this! But to just sneak out of the school without a word!? That is grounds for suspension at best…but that you snuck out to start a warzone in a club…expulsion at worst! Don't you care what this could do to you?"

"This is bigger than you think!"

"I was sure you'd come back…I almost missed the last flight to Vale waiting for you! Who would watch your back then?"

As they argued Junior suddenly went sailing over their heads, the two ducked without even acknowledging his presence. Apparently Yang's fight with him was going quite well as the weapon he held in his hands had been shattered by her latest blow…only the hilt remained. The battered fighter stumbled to his feet, suddenly realizing he held several strands of gold hair in his other hand…having accidentally pulled them free when trying to grab his opponent.

The two glanced back at Yang who only just then realized the damage he had inflicted to her mane of golden hair. Her eyes were glowing bright red in stark contrast to the lilac they had been before, she looked enraged. Clenching her fists tightly, she pumped her arms towards her sides…the entire area surrounding her burst into flames as if to match her current mental state. Velvet's eyes went wide, knowing the hell that could be unleashed from messing with a girl's hair.

"RUN!" She screamed, grabbing Shirou by the wrist, she sprinted for the nearest window dragging him along. Junior did not seem to realize his predicament as he stared woozily at the golden inferno barreling his way. He barely even realized what happened as her fist collided with his face.

The club owner was sent sailing through the window, Shirou and Velvet barely jumping out in time to avoid the explosion caused by her attack. Billowing flames followed them, the heat licking at their heels as it engulfed the entirety of the interior of the once-hopping club. Side-by side, the two tucked and rolled, landing gracefully outside.

"Velvet!" Shirou turned to his partner now that he had a spare moment. "What are you do…?"

Shirou's head snapped to the left as Velvet slapped him clean across the face.

"THAT was for leaving Beacon without so much as a word!"

Before he could utter a work he was slapped on the opposite cheek.

"And THAT was for thinking I wouldn't notice!"

"You…can't be here!" He asserted, rubbing his sore face. "It's too dangerous, if you or Coco or Yatsuhashi came along you'd just…"

"Get hurt?" Velvet interrupted again, still fuming. "Yet you expect us to just sit back while you take on this…Gilgamesh character alone?"

Shirou's expression flattened at her mention of his name, smacking his forehead with a groan at his stupidity, he came to the logical conclusion.

"You…heard me?"

The ears on her head twitched in response.

"Did you really think moving a few feet away or being on the other side of a door would help against these? I hear everything...all the time!" She pointed at her rabbit ears, face still flat and focused, her annoyance of Shirou's actions abundantly clear. "I had HOPED you would tell us when you trusted us! Clearly I thought too highly of you!"

"It was never about trust! You don't know what he can do; he will kill anyone he thinks may get in his way!"

"You're right; I don't know what he can do…because you haven't told me!"

"Do the others know we're here?"

Velvet huffed. "As if I could hide ANYTHING from Coco. They agreed to cover for us for the weekend only. If we're not back by Sunday night they go to Professor Ozpin."

She failed to mention the part where Coco joked that it was okay to elope with him if the chance arose…she hid a growing blush on her face at the memory.

Shirou restrained further chastising, though it was with great effort. He had no idea how far back the chain of owners would lead to Gilgamesh. "He'd intended to continue until he found him, however long it took…finding him before weekends end was probably unlikely.

"You can't come with me, you have to leave"

Velvet crossed her arms over her chest, feet planted in the ground.

"Make me." Shirou's hope to grow her confidence had worked too well.

"I think she got you beat tiger," Yang remarked, emerging from the wreckage that had once been the nightclub. Her appearance was somehow as spotless as it was when she'd first entered.

"Yang?" Another voice called out beyond the parking lot. A small girl stepped out from behind a dumpster. "Is that you?"

She was clearly younger than Shirou, wearing a long black blouse with matching skirt. He could tell from the sleeves and skirt as they fluttered in the wind that it had red trim inside. She wore a red hooded cloak that sent a shiver up his spine; with the way it was clasped to her dress with a pair of crosses on either shoulder it eerily reminded him of Archer…could it simply be an impossible coincidence?

"Oh…hey sis!" She called out cheerily.

 _Sis?_ Shirou questioned as he looked between them. Compared to Yang's curly blonde hair, provocative combat attire and mature build, the new girl was slim, fair skinned with short dark hair that she seemed to have dyed red at the tips and her dress was far more conservative. Even their eye color was different, with Yang's vibrant lilac and the newcomers hauntingly beautiful silver. He could not see a single point of resemblance between them.

"What are you doing here?" She asked, clearly having been out looking for her.

"Yang and Shirou glanced at each other awkwardly before looking back to her sister.

"That's…a long story."

"Well, dad is going to want to hear that long story."

Yang acted almost like she didn't hear her sister. "So, I suppose you two are going to be hitting that industrial train?"

Shirou glanced up at the mention of Junior's words of where the previous owner could be found. He had to admit, he had no idea where the industrial train was or how to catch up to it.

Yang sighed heavily before turning to the young girl.

"Just stall dad a few more hours, I sort of owe these two a favor."

"But…"

"Don't worry Ruby; I'll be back by morning, promise. Say hello to Zwei for me. Hop on you two."

Yang mounted the bright yellow motorcycle parked out front…as if it could have been anyone else's but hers.

"I never said she could come wi…"

Velvet smacked him upside the head; he had no chance of winning that battle.

"The way I see it," she crossed her arms again, putting her face right up into his. "You can either drag me back to Beacon…or let me come with you." Yang was glaring at Shirou over her sunglasses, shaking her head back and forth to convey she would NOT assist with the former option.

Shirou massaged the bridge of his nose; they didn't have time for this.

"I don't...want you to get hurt."

Velvet's pouting scowl deepened. "I am not helpless...I have the weapons of just about every student in our class saved up, plus the ones you gave me. I've upgraded my projector over the last few weeks, I've even gotten stronger at..."

"Fine, fine," he relented, hopping onto the bike behind Yang, motioning for her to join him. "But if you are coming with us...you'll…need to understand who and what we are after…I'll tell you what I can on the way."

Shirou was forced to press up as close to Yang as he could and Velvet to him so they could fit though it was still very tight. Hesitantly he gripped the blonde-brawlers sturdy waist…she had more muscles than he did. Shirou went rigid upon Velvet wrapping her arms around his torso, he could feel her shaking.

"Hang on back there," Yang called out as she revved up the engine. "Keep all arms, legs and other assorted appendages inside the vehicle at all times and do make your best effort to refrain from getting too handsy with our lovely passengers…that means you too." Yang gave a coy wink to Velvet through her mirror.

Velvet's shakes grew even more obvious.

With a burst of speed, each one tightened their grips as the motorcycle took off into the night, they would have to really move to reach the train in time. Shirou glanced back at the young hooded girl watching them ride off, looking aggravated that she had to make it back on foot.

 _What a fascinating weapon_ , Shirou remarked, having noticed the oddly shaped construct hidden expertly beneath her cloak. "Crescent Rose…"

 **One clue leads to another as Shirou follows the trail, no longer alone. To ensure his partner survives, he bears his past and soul…revealing the intricacies of another world…As always, Read and Review…but most of all Enjoy! :)**


	6. One-Track Mind

**Hello everyone! I wanted to clear up something I noticed there was confusion in regards to my story. I had not intended this to be an epic encompassing the entirety of the RWBY universe at this time. I certainly hope to undertake such a project in the future, however I started this story for a contest which will be relatively short and just detail Shirou and Velvet's search for Gilgamesh. My hope is that the ideas and rules for the crossing over of these two franchises can be used to facilitate even grander stories later on. And on that note…let us continue… :D**

 **Shirou and Velvet enter the land of Forever Fall, the next step in their journey to locate the King of Heroes…**

The trio blazed through the forest, Yang had held the impressive speed on her motorcycle ever since they left the city limits. The three had been riding all morning and into the afternoon when they finally came upon the forest of Forever Fall. Shirou could certainly see where it got the name.

Every tree for as far as he could see was covered with red leaves, even the grass shared the color. At a first glance it appeared that the entire forest was in the middle of autumn despite his knowledge that summer was still lingering. It was one of the most beautiful things he had seen, yet had no time to enjoy it; he was still concluding his explanation of what they would be facing to Velvet. The words of keeping the secrecy of magic from Kiritsugu echoed in Shirou's mind, but he had to tell her, if she was to have a chance of surviving against him.

He had tried to keep it simple; avoiding the point that he was from another world. He focused on the basics, his status as a magus, and the Holy Grail War along with his and Gilgamesh's place in it. He purposefully left out Saber and Rin from his tale, though wasn't entirely certain why he was hesitant to tell Velvet about them. He drove home how savage Gilgamesh could be, but he didn't have the heart to tell her of how he had killed a little girl without a second thought.

"So…" Velvet started, trying to keep up with everything he had explained. She seemed more shocked at the existence of magic than anything else. "This Gilgamesh is one of these...heroic spirits with unlimited weapons, who hates humans?"

 _Boy that's oversimplifying it…could she describe me so basically too?_

"Essentially speaking, yes!" Shirou shouted back, trying to be heard over the engine and wind. "He is ruthless and strong, if we face him, DO NOT try to fight him alone."

"A heroic spirit..." Velvet considered his explanation. An individual who had lives fulfilling such grand deeds that they were admired and worshiped even after death. What accomplishments must one achieve in order to be granted such a noble status?

 _If only such a thing were possible for me..._

"I still think you're insane," Yang shouted back from the front. "A war over a cup that grants wishes? It sounds like the fairy tales my sister and I grew up on." Their yellow-haired chauffeur laughed as she recalled the tale of her youth. "I'm pretty sure that's the one of the Cursed Golden Chalice, did he have an army in a marble he kept in his pocket too? And are you sure he didn't wander out of an institution somewhere?"

 _I almost wish I had,_ Shirou mused. _Then, at least everyone would be safe._

"You…could have told me," Velvet squeezed Shirou tighter.

"Would you really have honestly believed me?" Shirou glanced back, locking eyes with Velvet seriously. Her ears flattened down as she lowered her face…uncertain of her answer.

"But, you said you lost last time," she muttered, barely loud enough for Shirou to hear over the engine. "If you face him again…you won't be alone."

Shirou just stared forward having heard every word, uncertain how to respond. He didn't want her to get hurt, yet seemed powerless to stop her from following him to an uncertain end. Despite how he felt about getting others involved, especially Velvet, he was convincing himself less and less that he wouldn't need help. He still didn't have enough od or aura to summon Unlimited Blade Works except for the briefest of moments, and without that, he'd stand as little chance as her. Then there was the worry of Gilgamesh taking him serious from the outset this time...

"There she goes!" Yang shouted, drawing their attention. Directly ahead, they spotted a long set of tracks stretching far into the distance. Just entering their field of view, the tail end of a long locomotive was visible. No doubt that it was the industrial train. "Hang on!"

Somehow pushing her bike even harder, they sped up. The train was faster but had to pass through winding routes to follow the tracks around the topography, while Yang was not so restricted. With expert skill, she maneuvered through trees; hopping down a cliff face and even leaping a river…she knew where she was going. Shirou and Velvet held on, uncertain if they could survive her driving style.

"The tracks are elevated!" She shouted back. "Either you have to clear the jump up yourselves or we need an airborne approach!"

"Did you have one in mind?" The mischievous grin on her face was all the answer he needed.

Velvet held on as Yang made a sharp turn, heading up a steep incline that took them atop a ledge overlooking the tracks. In her insane, suicidal path choices, Yang had somehow pulled ahead of the train but it was fast approaching. As it neared, she revved the engine again, taking off for the edge.

"She's not…" Velvet started before realizing the error of her words.

Yang leapt the gap just as the train passed underneath. Shirou released his hold on her waist and stood atop his seat.

"You don't have to follow me," were his last words to Velvet before he leapt, plummeting for the moving vehicle below.

"Go get em!" Yang called down after him.

His aura served him well as he impacted the train at an angle, rolling to cushion his landing. Tracing a simple sword quickly, he lodged it in the roof, stopping his slide. Even once down, the train was moving incredibly fast and required absolute focus to remain standing. He saw the tail end of Yang's motorcycle disappear over the trees, the spunky driver throwing him a final grin and thumbs up of good luck before she vanished from sight.

 _At least the jump discouraged Velvet from following, with any luck Yang can get her safely back to Vale before…_

Once again, Shirou was proven wrong once again as his Faunus partner slammed into the train roof a few feet away, burying her own sword for support to prevent any chance of being thrown off. Motioning forward with her hands, as the wind was far too loud to speak over; Velvet pointed out a nearby hatch leading down…it was already open. Under the cover of the raging wind, the two students dropped down into the dark train car within…

 **On the Train…**

It was obvious they had missed the start of the battle, Shirou let out silent thanks that the guards on the train were simply robots. Mangled parts and smashed mechanical limbs were spread throughout the car; they had not fared well against the attackers. The assailants must have been numerous or incredibly skilled to defeat so many, there had to be dozens of robots based on the scattered parts.

The two inched their way forward, Velvet suddenly breaking away to check several long, imposing black containers.

"These all belong to the Schnee Dust Company," she informed, running her hands over the clock-shaped snowflake design stamped on each chest. "But everything is still here, why wouldn't they have taken them?"

The train shook at her words, an explosion from further ahead; Shirou muttered the answer as he pressed forward.

"Because they are still onboard." Shirou threw open the door to the next car. The explosion had clearly come from several up from where they had landed. Making their way through the cars, he opened the last door, his eyes suddenly blinded by the unexpected light.

The next segment was a large flatcar without walls or roof and was wide open to the sky. Enormous tarps dotted its surface, no doubt covering further cargo being transported to Atlas. Looking to the center of the car he spotted the source of the commotion.

A gargantuan robot more akin to a tank was rampaging, firing cannons and otherwise attempting to catch the shape darting back and forth beneath it. The color scheme of the mechanical monstrosity caused Shirou to recall the Grimm in the Emerald Forest more than anything else. Its sleek metal casing was dark gray bordering on black, across its body shimmered bright red…no doubt caused by the dust crystals implanted inside acting as a power source. It had four legs and crawled like a crab, cannons mounted on either arm that dented the floor of the car with each failed attack.

Below the hulking droid was a woman, based on her appearance she had to be even younger than Shirou or Velvet. She was fair-skinned, long black hair with yellow eyes. As was becoming par for the course in Remnant; Shirou did not know what to make of her ensemble. She wore a sleeveless white undershirt, a black button-up vest overtop clasped shut at her stomach with a single button complete with coattails. Stockings covered her slender legs that started black at the top but became purple before reaching her ankles.

Velvet could not help but smile at the adorable black bow sitting atop her head. She was fighting against the large robot with a unique-looking sword. The weapon in her right hand reminded him of an unusual katana, yet the sheath in her left was much thicker, allowing her to utilize both in desperate strikes to do what damage she could.

 _Gambol Shroud…_ Shirou thought as he read the details of her weapon.

"She's in trouble!" Velvet cried out, darting forward ahead of Shirou. She did not even seem to consider the notion that the girl was part of the group that had attacked the train; it was a life to her…she didn't care.

The raven-haired beauty unwrapped a black cord around her left arm, using it to latch onto her opponent, bounding high into the air majestically before crashing back down. Her blade rang out, slashing at several key points on the spider-like robot's body. Despite her precision strikes, her blade skittered off the armor, scraping but not piercing.

Velvet leapt into the air herself, the familiar, jagged axe-blade of Berserker forming in her hand. With a two-handed slash she brought it down upon one of the mech's four legs. The copy did not cleave the appendage so much as ripped through it, sending the decapitated limb tumbling over the side to the forest floor below.

The targeting sensors zeroed in on the new foe, spotting Velvet behind it as the remaining three legs rotated to compensate, keeping the droid on its feet. A single cannon rotated and took aim, firing a concentrated burst of pale energy straight at the recovering Faunus-girl.

Shirou leapt from overhead, a new weapon in his hands. It was as simple yet extraordinary as many found in his repertoire. The handle had a white gem in the pommel; the hilt was an old-fashioned cross-guard with gold and black designs leading to a deep gray blade, the unbreakable sword Durandal, holy sword of Roland.

The sword lived up to its name as he split the beam of energy vertically, causing each half to bend, barely missing them both as they tore matching holes through the train car floor. Velvet bounded over Shirou's head, cracking the robot in the still-recharging cannon, tearing it from its arm in a brutal shower of parts, wires and electricity. Berserker's mountainous weapon faded from her grip with that blow, kicking the construct in the face, she bounced to a safe distance.

Their fellow combatant clung to the machine's backside, her sword contorting before their eyes into a small pistol. With a grunt, she rammed the pistol into an exposed control box, unloading the entire magazine into it. Sparks flew from the damaged spider-droid, yet it still was able to swing back, catching the girl in the chest and sending her flying. Unseen by Velvet and Shirou, she was caught by a second combatant who had been holding back until that point.

Shirou saw his opening, gripping his new weapon with two hands he darted forward underneath the droid's remaining legs. While it was still seeking out the girl, he slashed upward, severing another leg. As expected, the last two rotated once more in preparation to support greater weight. Shirou did not give it the chance, as its torso turned once more; he flipped the sword over expertly, driving it upward into the mech's vital internal circuitry. At the same time, Velvet created replicas of Kanshou and Bakuya. Throwing her hands outward, she tossed both spinning blade over hilt towards the jittering, malfunctioning enemy.

Shirou's eyes widened as he saw it…they were flying as one. He had long ago told her about the ability of the blades to be drawn to one another due to their "married" status…a terminology that had sent waves of heat to the young girl's cheeks. But for the two weapons to be so linked that even hard-light copies retained this inexorable pull, Shirou had never even considered or thought to test it as none of her other replicas seemed to retain the mystical properties of the original.

The twin blades collided with the droid as Shirou leapt to safety, setting off an explosion that took its entire torso clean off. The legs and remaining bottom twitched and skittered sporadically for several seconds before collapsing on their sides…finally dead.

Shirou let out a sigh of relief, leaning back to catch his breath. Not far ahead he saw the girl approaching…and there was someone beside her. It was a man, tall, wearing an all-black suit with a sword at his hip. He had blazing red hair and wore a white mask that was reminiscent of the Grimm. From what Velvet had told him of the White Fang this was standard among their members. He was clearly a Faunus, a pair of black bull horns protruded from his head.

 _He certainly matches Junior's description…_

"Why didn't he help out?" Velvet whispered as they neared, Shirou could only shrug.

"What brings you here, and who do we have the," the newcomer paused as he looked the two of them up and down," pleasure of thanking?" Despite the fact they had just saved his ally, Shirou could not help but notice he had yet to take his hand off his weapon.

"My name is Shirou, this is Velvet," he replied simply. "And I am pretty sure you are the very man we were looking for."

The girl with a bow in her hair glanced between them confused; her hand fell to her weapon. Apparently, people who sought them out were not often friendly.

"And what business could you possibly have with me?"

Shirou raised Durandal, allowing it to scatter now that he was finished with it. Instead a new weapon shimmered into life before the shocked pair. He had recreated Crocea Mors, the very sword that started his hunt.

"I was told you were in possession of this weapon until recently," he explained. "I am looking for where you procured it from."

The bull-Faunus just stared at him, his gaze completely unreadable beneath his mask. His partner seemed to guess his mind as she stepped forward.

"Adam…"

He raised a hand sternly to silence her, stopping her advance. Lowering his hand, he looked directly at Shirou.

"You saved my beloved's life…for that I will give you ONE chance to leave now. You may be in good company," he motioned towards Velvet behind him. "But I don't make deals with humans, and I certainly would never tell one where to procure powerful weapons. Your companion may stay and join us if she wishes…but you must go."

Velvet stood there shocked; she certainly could see why so many distrusted the White Fang. They had just saved the life of someone he called 'beloved,' and yet not a moment later, he was threatening Shirou. She could already tell that her teammate wouldn't back down, if he left now the trail would be cold and they'd have to start over.

"I just…need to know…where you go the sword." He repeated, standing to his full height, fists clenching out of frustration, first Junior had withheld information...and now him. Velvet and the White Fang girl could both sense the tension in the air as they stepped back, hands falling to their respective weapons.

Shirou reacted the moment the bull-Faunus named Adam tightened the grip on his sword. Swinging Crocea Mors he aptly deflected the powerful first swing. He had read the black sword as soon as he'd laid eyes on it and was fully aware of the bolt-action drawing mechanism allowing it to fire the blade as if it were a firearm. With his first-strike advantage lost, Adam rushed in as he and Shirou clashed blades.

The two women similarly bounded after one another, Adam's beloved fled to the neighboring car as Velvet gave chase. As light shimmered from her box, a familiar pair of gauntlets appeared on her wrists, courtesy of a certain blonde brawler. With her new weapons, Velvet parried a swipe from her weapon, countering with a savage punch to the ground with an accompanying explosion that surprised and forced her back. Despite the early advantage, the agile White Fang member succeeded in evading most of Velvet's attacks. Her replica of Ember Celica ran out, forcing her to fall back to Yatsuhashi's sword…a reliable choice of which she had plenty of copies to utilize.

Racing forward, she stared in surprise as her opponent sheathed her weapon, holding out a hand requesting her to stop.

"Please," she started. "Just let me speak…"

 **In the Previous Train Car…**

Shirou and Adam clashed again and again. The bull-swordsman seemed to be getting quite frustrated, if Shirou had to guess it was due to Crocea Mors withstanding his blows. Based on the design of Adam's blade, it was made for ending battles quickly…in the first swing if possible. He had lost sight of Velvet, but was sure she'd be fine; with the arsenal at her disposal she could hold her own at the very least.

 _She'll be quite the fighter once she gets some experience under her belt. How many lives will she be able to protect then?_

"You don't understand!" Shirou tried to reason with him as they blocked and parried each other's strikes. Adam was vastly superior to anyone he had faced in Remnant thus far. While he was able to hold him at bay, at the rate they were going he would have to use stronger, more effective weapons. "I need to find the original owner to…"

His warnings were silenced as Adam slid his sword down the length of Crocea Mors to the handle. With a quick flourish he scraped his blade up Shirou's hands, forcing him to drop the weapon in pain. His aura shimmered at his palms and was the only reason he hadn't nearly lost his hands. With the incredible speed of the train car they found themselves on, the weapon bounced away, falling over the side and out of reach. The midnight-clad swordsman stepped forward, performing an uppercut slash diagonally across Shirou's chest.

His blade echoed as it collided with another…one of identical make and build to his own.

"How did you…?" Adam muttered in confusion as he was confronted by his own weapon minus the sheath.

Shirou did not answer, he was done trying to talk; instead he pressed his advantage now fighting in a style identical to Adam's. The change in tactics clearly threw the Faunus off-balance as Shirou succeeded in knocking his blade to the side, cracking him in the chest with the hilt. Adam stumbled backwards with a flicker of his aura; ducking low he avoided the follow-up. Shirou brought up a foot, catching him in the chest with a backflip and knocking him towards the end of the room. With a great leap, Shirou positioned himself between the next car where Velvet and Adam's accomplice were fighting. He would not let him get past or escape.

Sheathing his weapon, Adam stepped forward in a flash, firing his sword like a gun as he drew forward. The attack was meant to break his copy, but instead it clashed evenly. A red shimmer of spider-vein light ran up the length of the black steel, signifying the reinforcement as Shirou improved upon the design. Taking advantage of his surprise, Shirou rotated with a high kick, forcing Adam to dodge and retreat.

 _He's good,_ Shirou admitted as he decided his next tactic. He'd have to incapacitate him if he hoped to get the information he sought.

As Adam righted himself several feet away, he found himself staring down the length of an arrow, albeit one made of aura currently situated in an intimidating black bow. Shirou had replaced his new forgery with the weapon of Archer, a solemn reminder of the future that potentially awaited him. He could not pull it back to its full capacity…and firing a Noble Phantasm would be too much even for Adam. Instead, he settled on arrows formed from his aura, which should be sufficient. Shirou pulled back as far as his muscles would allow before releasing the shot.

Surprisingly, Adam instead elected to sheath his sword once again, was he planning to parry the arrow?

The Faunus swordsman was fast as ever, partially drawing his blade, he caught the blast, however did not parry. Instead, his weapon seemed absorb the arrow, devouring it until nothing remained. As the arrow grew dimmer, the red in his blade, hair, mask and clothes began to glow a sinister bright shade of crimson. An equally menacing smile spread across his lips with a laugh.

 _The sword can't do that,_ Shirou realized, knowing precisely how it was designed. Nothing in its schematics allowed for energy-absorption, but the history of the weapon revealed to him the source. His semblance allowed him to absorb energy and utilize it in a devastating counter attack. It was a sure-fire kill move with a single flaw. Once he used it, he would be tired and have a brief window to counter attack, if he could get him in that moment…

"Shirou!" He heard behind him, his blood froze. Velvet and the Adam's love were rushing towards him from the next car. The strike that Adam was preparing had an extensive range. Without him standing in the way it would surely hit both of the girls.

"What are you doing?" Shirou shouted over the wind. "If you swing now you'll hit…"

The White Fang Commander was not listening, already winding up to swing, he had no time to warn them to move.

"I am…the bone of my sword."

Adam drew his sword, combining his own strength, the bolt action of his sheath along with all of the energy he had absorbed from Shirou's attack building to a tremendous swing. Refusing to move, Shirou took the attack head on as it cleaved clean through his imperfect copy of Archer's bow and caught him square in the chest. His aura collapsed in an instant under the pressure, slashing through his skin and bone and forcing all of the air out of his lungs.

Shirou's was sent sailing backwards from the force of the hit, his partner backing up in horror as she aimed to catch him before he hit the ground. The young man flew clear onto the next car ahead, Velvet leaping up to catch him. Pulling him close, Velvet dropped to the ground as softly as she could; rolling so she took the brunt of the impact.

"Shirou…SHIROU!" She cried, his white undershirt was stained with a spreading pool of blood. He was still breathing, albeit barely. Adam turned slowly in the far car, clearly confident in his victory. With sure steps he started making his way to finish him off and deal with Velvet.

He did not get the chance, before he could get close enough; his accomplice who had introduced herself to Velvet as Blake stepped forward, drawing Gambol Shroud from her back. In a single swing she cut the connection between cars, separating them from one another.

Adam raced forward at the realization of what she'd done, but it was too late. The engine was behind Blake; her half picked up speed as his lost it. He could never reach her in time, a look of rage and confusion swept across his masked face as he watched her go. She was leaving him...HIM? And with a human of all things, he would hunt her down, find her and...

The Faunus swordsman glanced at his own weapon; cracks had formed across the entire length of the blade where he had struck the boy. It made no sense, he had shattered the bow with no effort…yet when he'd impacted his chest it felt like he was clashing with a new, unbreakable sword.

 **Industrial Train: Front Section…**

"Goodbye Adam," Blake muttered solemnly as he disappeared far into the distance with the rear half of the Industrial Train.

With a quick turn she made her way over to Velvet, still cradling Shirou. His eyes were glazed over, his skin cold from the blood loss; she didn't know what to do. "SHIROU! Please don't die! Hold on! You have to live! We need to get him somewhere! Try to find a…"

Velvet's words of concern were cut off as a golden light blinded her; still holding his body she covered her eyes with her free hand. The light was emanating from Shirou's ugly wound stretching across the length of his body. Forcing herself, despite the blinding flash, she stared into it, awe and wonder enchanting her to the sight happening before her very eyes.

Through the golden light, she could see blue tendrils, like stitches weaving in and out of his skin, sealing the fatal injury. It was impossible…he should have been dead, that was all she could think despite her desire for what she was looking at to be true. She and Blake watched on as the tendrils covered the wound, sealing it with a final burst of radiance that neither could look upon. As the light dimmed, they beheld Shirou again. His shirt was still shredded and stained with blood…yet beneath he did not even have a scar.

It was like magic, just like Shirou had said. What else was possible that she had never even imagined?

Slowly with a groan, Shirou's eyes focused, blinking to clear the haze from them. The first thing he saw was Velvet looking over him and the first thing he felt was her tear on his cheek. The same force his father, Kiritsugu, had used to save him…the same that had aided him in his ideological struggle with Archer, had pulled through once more.

 _Whatever it was, it used od,_ he mused as he got his bearings. _I guess it isn't compatible with aura._

"Velvet…" He gasped, his strength starting to return. "Are you alr…"

His Lepus partner silenced him with a hug, pulling him close. Shirou's eyes went wide in shock but thought it was best to remain still…lest he incur her wrath again.

"You don't have to try and do everything on your own," she whispered again. "That's what partners are there for. Please, just stop, this isn't worth you getting yourself killed."

Shirou noticed Blake's presence behind her, he raised his hand to point her out, but Velvet grabbed it, forcing him to lay it back down.

"She's okay," she explained. "She was trying to get away from him too. Apparently he's as bad as he seemed."

"He wasn't always," Blake replied with a sigh. "At least, I'd like to think he wasn't, but that's behind us now. I believe you were asking about that sword we sold to Junior?"

Velvet scowled at her, no doubt having hoped the trail could die and free Shirou to return to Beacon. It seemed such an option was impossible now.

"Where did it come from?" Shirou finally stirred, sitting up and flexing his muscles again.

"It was an offering for an audience. Two women and a man wanted to meet with Adam this morning. The weapon was sent to us weeks ago with a message…incentivizing our allowing them to speak with him."

"What did they want?"

"An alliance it would seem, but all three of them were humans. As you can see, Adam is…against agreements with your kind. He only accepted the offering for the meeting, the alliance was declined and the three departed."

"Where?"

"They tried to keep their travels hidden," Blake concluded. "But we spotted them staying at an inn in Northern Vale. The train will be passing relatively close to there again in a couple of miles. If you want to pursue them, that would be your best chance."

Shirou glanced at Velvet who was shaking her head again and again, he wished he could comply and return to Beacon…but he couldn't. Not just yet.

"Do you know who they are?"

"Only that they are very dangerous, even Adam was wary about being alone with them. I don't know the other two…but the one in charge referred to herself as Cinder."

 **Shirou and Velvet near the end of their journey, the next clue leading to the most terrifying of the stray blade of Gilgamesh's former owners. What clues and revelations will they find in the Vale countryside? As always Read and Review, but most of all Enjoy!**


	7. The Counterfeit Maiden

**Shirou and Velvet arrive in the Vale Countryside, pursuing the seemingly endless path of the sword. Unknowingly, they stumble towards the previous…and among the most terrifying of the blade's previous holders…**

The innkeeper continued to clean the recently-used mug, glancing up absentmindedly while pondering the question given to him. The inn was very quaint, a rustic, old fashioned feel emanated from every part of it, be it from the creaking boards to the chandeliers above seemingly made out of various antlers. Business must have been slow for that time of year as only a handful of patrons were present in the common area, each busy with their own matters scattered around the breakfast tables and hearth.

"Red dress and black hair you say, hmmmm. I do recall a young woman and her friends stopping by the other day…didn't mention names though."

"We've been looking for them," Shirou explained, having concocted the ruse with Velvet since parting ways with Blake on the train the previous evening.

The two were wearing dull beige hooded cloaks under the excuse of preparing for rain. In actuality it was to hide Velvet's Faunus heritage, a trait that was apparently unwelcome as evidenced by the 'Faunus Need Not Apply' sign nailed to the wall. Shirou had zipped up his red and black jacket to hide the dried blood stains on his shirt beneath; he'd had no chance to acquire a new one.

"We were hoping to meet up with them but were delayed."

The innkeeper laughed, his bushy brown beard rippling as if it were alive. "You all should coordinate better; they were looking for an acquaintance too. A young woman who stayed here and left before them…is she a friend too?"

"Yes," Velvet spoke up. "We are new to the area and got separated."

"Then you are just in time. Those three set off after her not long ago, she was taking the main road thataways. Something about helping out the farmers in this area before moving on, very sweet girl she was, I wish her all the best. If you set off immediately, you might catch them before then."

"That is a big help, thank you," Shirou concluded, placing a bit of lien on the table for the food they had purchased for the road. Were it not for the sign on the door, he would have left a little extra for the information. Adjusting their hoods, he and Velvet made their way outside, he did not notice his partner fiddling on her scroll while he was paying. It was not the first time she had slyly peaked at her device since the train.

The Vale countryside was beautiful, rolling green hills stretching in each direction. Every few miles a farm could be spotted with its occupants toiling in the fields. Despite the hard work, they seemed happy and content. Each one they passed had a similar story. A young girl with short brown hair atop a white steed had come by; she did not stay long, yet shared supplies and wished them well in their endeavors. Several were certain their crops looked healthier than they had in days at her approach, but laughed it off as utter nonsense. If Cinder was following this girl as seemed to be evidenced, following her trail could lead them to their goal.

As they went from farm to farm down the path, Shirou remained unusually quiet. He wouldn't tell Velvet, but he was worried, truly worried. The unknown force within him that had healed his injuries had consumed a small amount of od. It seemed to have been just enough to jump-start whatever power it had utilized, but it was noticeable. It was the first time he had used od over aura since arriving in Remnant. Despite the time that had passed since the battle with Adam, not a single bit had regenerated back.

 _That should be impossible,_ he thought as they continued in silence. _Even if od isn't native here…it's my body, it should replenish on its own, could something be draining me, or maybe be preventing it from regenerating?_ Whatever the case, Shirou resolved to use aura as much as possible lest he deplete his od before discovering the means to recover it.

The two proceeded at a brisk pace throughout much of that day. The young man realized that it was their last day to seek Gilgamesh before their absence would be noticed. If they were not back by the next morning, Coco would go to Ozpin and start searching for them…if they hadn't already out of worry. Velvet had been eyeing him since they left Blake.

"Shirou," she finally spoke up as the sky started to grow overcast. "Didn't you like your time at Beacon?"

Shirou continued walking, but glanced back with a curious expression on his face, uncertain where her question had come from.

"How couldn't I have liked it?" He replied from his gut. "We may have been busy with classes and training, but it was...peaceful. Why do you ask?"

"You've been doing everything to avoid going back; we could be there now training to fight Grimm and protect people. This path we've been following seems to have no end. Each person got the sword from someone else, and they got it from another."

"It couldn't have been here longer than two weeks," Shirou asserted. "We'll find the source soon enough, and when we do we can ensure Gilgamesh never harms anyone."

"But what if we don't?" Her tone became sterner, the frustration in her voice apparent. "Are you going to run across all of Remnant?"

"We will, and then…"

"If this clue isn't him…!" Velvet interrupted with a shout. "Promise me you'll come back home…to Beacon!"

"But if he returns…"

"Then WE will deal with him!" Velvet berated him. "Just…tell me, truthfully this time...please...that if this latest clue doesn't pan out, that you will return with me…I, I mean return…to Beacon." She corrected herself at the end, blushing furiously, her ears shirking down in embarrassment.

Shirou stared blankly at her, she was so serious and adamant to hear his answer, despite the fact he could easily lie again.

"Okay," he relented at last. "You have my word that if the next owner does not pan out, I will return to Beacon."

Velvet's scowl lessened, though she held another finger out at him threateningly.

"Just know, that if you are lying again…and you try to leave without coming back, I won't forgive you a second time."

"Well," he started scratching the back of his head nervously. "I suppose with that ultimatum I dare not refuse."

For the first time that day, the rabbit-girl's genuine smile returned, he may have said it in jest, but Shirou dared not cause it to fade again.

The two did not get much further before a massive gale was suddenly upon them, forcing them to grip their cloaks to prevent them being whipped away. The clouds had been darkening the last several hours, but the freak wind came out of nowhere. Velvet held her ground, Shirou doing the same, lowering down into a crouched position to withstand the worst of it.

The miniature squall left as quickly as it came, leaving them frozen on the spot, worried another may take its place. After several tense moments they got back to their feet, cautiously taking in their surroundings.

"That…was weird," Velvet remarked to a nodding Shirou.

A crack of thunder drew their attention, in the distance not too far ahead they witnessed a lightning strike, then another, and another all centered in the same general area. Without a word, Shirou took off running.

"Wha…are you mad!?" Velvet shouted as she gave chase. "You want to run TOWARDS the lightning?"

"That isn't natural," Shirou explained, sensing something off about the bolts emerging from the clouds. "They are striking consecutively on that hill."

"So? Contrary to popular belief, lightning can indeed strike more than…"

"That FLAT hill with plenty higher points in the area," Shirou pointed out, motioning ahead. "I would love to hear what you think could be up there drawing it in."

Velvet had no answer. A knot had tied her stomach, after how close a call Shirou had on the train, she dreaded who or what they would discover on the hilltop beyond.

 **Further ahead…near the hill…**

The freak storm seemed to have dissipated by the time they came across the scene of the lightning strikes. Charred terrain could be seen every few feet, the paths of damage strangely concentrated as they had noticed from afar. And then they saw it, just ahead beyond on the path were four shapes. Velvet gasped and sprinted ahead, allowing her cloak to fly away after having seen what was going on.

It was clearly the aftermath of a fight, kneeling on the ground was a young woman with darker skin and brown hair matching the farmer's descriptions of the generous traveler. Her right arm was being restrained by a young man with silver hair in a black and gray vest. His brown pants were burned away below the knee, revealing highly advanced mechanical prosthetics. Her left arm was similarly being held by an emerald-haired dark-skinned girl in a matching top that left her arms and midriff bare. An arrow protruded from the defeated girl's lower back, her aura obviously gone.

Standing before the battered wanderer was another woman, even from a glance Shirou felt a cold, sinister presence. She had dark hair and a short red dress with intricate gold designs that did not reach her knees. She was holding her hand several inches in front of the beaten opponent's face, a strange black substance connecting it to her. It almost looked as if her right eye was…glowing?

Velvet's hand moved in a flash, a simple hard-light dagger forming in tandem with her movements, being thrown an instant after being created. The girl in the red dress noticed her presence too late, the dagger slicing clean through the black substance and freeing their captive. The terrifying woman's amber eyes flared in utter rage. Kneeling down she scooped up a pair of matching long, curved blades clearly ready for a fight. Based on the chill that ran up Shirou's spine at her gaze, she could be none other than the Cinder Adam had so feared.

 _Is that them? No time to waste now._

"Trace…ON!"

A pair of longswords appeared in each hand, lesser Noble Phantasms he had glimpsed within the Gates of Babylon. Velvet reached them first, a copy of Durandal in one hand, and Crocea Mors in the other. With a vertical slice aiming for the man and a horizontal one for the women, Velvet forced the three to leap away. The wounded traveler slumped to her side, free from her captors but clearly unable to move. Her palate was gray; a discolored scar had appeared where the black sludge made contact with her face even after disintegrating once cut off from the woman in red.

 _She made two at once?_ Shirou surmised at Velvet's dual handling of Noble Phantasms, it must be due to the upgrades she mentioned having worked on the last several weeks. The box on her back shimmered blue, keeping up with her request.

Shirou clashed with Cinder, perceiving her to be the greatest threat among the three by far. Velvet put herself between the other two and the wounded girl, protecting her from them while Shirou shielded her from the third.

"Oh?" Cinder asked upon noticing the sword in Velvet's hands, recognizing even the shimmering blue copy. "Now where did you find that beauty I wonder?"

"Funny, I was going to ask you the same thing!" Shirou shouted with a final grunt, pushing her back. Cinder was agile and skilled, after the first clash she never confronted his blades head on. Instead, she would parry them from the side, pirouette around or dodge Shirou's attacks completely. From a single glance she knew full well her own weapons could not compare in craftsmanship.

Something had changed in his sinister yet enchanting opponent, Shirou could feel an unnatural heat emanating off her body, and from so close he could confirm that her right eye was wreathed in flames. Each time their weapons touched, his would glow bright red as if hers were searing hot. He dared not get near her blades. With a graceful spin ducking low to avoid his strikes, she struck, yet Shirou was already aptly leaping over her twin swords. He was a hair faster, kicking her in the chin with a solid hit.

The crimson woman fell backwards, turning the blow into graceful backflips for distance. She twisted her swords, but Shirou already knew what was coming. She slammed the hilts together, forming them into a longbow. A pair of arrows seemed to appear from particles in the air, already nocked and ready.

"How ironic, that an insignificant trophy from an ancient conflict with her Grace would come full circle."

 _Ancient?_ Shirou thought, his mind racing at her statement. _That's…impossible, I…we only arrived two weeks ago, how can it be considered ancient?_

"What are you talking about?" Shirou asked, hesitating on his follow-up strike. "The sword can't be that old!"

The mysterious woman just smiled at the look of twisted confusion on his face, she was enjoying every second of it.

"You actually care about that relic? You have no idea what is even going on here do you?" With that final word she loosed her arrows, Shirou's window to stop them gone.

Shirou crossed his weapons, prepared to deflect them. To his horror, a fraction of a second before he would have shattered them, the projectiles suddenly scattered on their own, disintegrating into the particulates they had started as. Shirou tensed up, he did not see such a technique in the history of the bowblades she wielded, could this be the first time utilizing such an ability?

The dust motes in the air danced around his blades, even Shirou himself, passing through him harmlessly. As the young magus turned he realized they were reforming behind him…aimed squarely at the wounded traveler lying prostrate on the ground.

"NO!" Shirou screamed, swinging his blades to catch the arrows before they continued their course. His swords barely clipped the closest in time, causing it to explode, engulfing his vision with smoke. The second sped away, flying just beyond his reach before he could catch it. His attack had been thrown off by the explosion of the first, there was nothing he could do.

He stared on helpless as the arrow continued, burying itself deep in her chest. Even as defeated as she was, the young girl shot up, gasping in pain. Shirou abandoned his struggle with Cinder, rushing to her side, but it was too late. He caught her as she slumped back down; feeling her neck and wrist, but there was no pulse.

"No…NO!" He roared, shaking her slightly as if to try and wake her. With the arrow in her chest, he had no way to help. He'd seen the barbed arrowhead as it sped past; any attempt to pull it free would only succeed in causing even more damage.

As anger and frustration, both at himself and Cinder bubbled in his chest, he punched the ground hard, he had been so blind!

 _What have I done?_ Shirou's heart fell into his gut. _I shouldn't have spoken with her; I should have stopped her from firing the bow. But I was so…obsessed with locating Gilgamesh that, for a moment, I prioritized the information, and it had cost this young woman her life._

As Shirou lamented, a flash of orange light suddenly leapt from the body cradled in his arms. Passing through him, it rippled through the air like a wave, finally disappearing into the chest of the one who had slain her. During the brief moment of contact, Shirou caught a sense of something he hadn't felt since arriving in Remnant.

 _Impossible, that…that was mana! A forced mystic pass?_

The feeling was unmistakable, the energy that ejected itself from the murdered girl, it was not aura...but magic! A force so alien to Remnant that no one even believed its existence, and yet here it was.

Cinder clutched her chest as the orange light disappeared within, arching forward as if in pain. It must have passed quickly as she stood back to her full height, and then she started to rise into the air, able to levitate by her flames alone. The wreath of fire now encircled both eyes, spearing outward menacingly. Around her, a shifting sphere of fire formed like a protective bubble.

"Finally," she released a sigh of triumph. Waving her hand in an uncaring, almost bored motion, a swarm of black javelins appeared before her. In a flash they rocketed towards him driven by her will alone.

Shirou thought fast, his arms swinging on instinct, his twin Noble Phantasms cut through the projectiles one after another at incredible speeds. Not a single one reached him. He spotted movement out of the corner of his eye; Velvet bounded backwards, no longer limited to shield the fallen girl. She took up position beside Shirou, the last copy of Coco's gun in her hands.

"They are strong," she panted. "Watch out for the green-haired one, she can disappear somehow."

The two partners glanced around for options; the terrifying maiden before them was not the only threat as her two followers had taken up positions surrounding them. The green-haired accomplice looked untouched, but Velvet must have done some damage to the man with the prosthetic legs. One was releasing sparks of static and he was limping slightly, a look of restrained rage focused squarely at the rabbit-girl.

They were trapped.

"Kill the rodent," Cinder commanded with a smile. "The interesting one is mine."

 _Damn,_ Shirou grunted as he glanced around, there was no way out. With the open terrain they couldn't retreat. In his current state he didn't have enough od or aura to create his reality marble.

The female disciple smiled as she suddenly shimmered out of existence, just as Velvet had warned. Shirou braced himself for an attack. He had to determine where she would come from before she had a chance to…

A gasp of pain drew his attention as the vanishing girl suddenly reappeared, sailing through the air away from them. She had been right behind him moving in, he could never have spotted her in time. A newcomer to the fight had kicked her in the side of the head, sending her flying through the nearby fence posts lining the road. Shirou's eyes were immediately drawn to his rather impressive weapon.

"Harbinger…"

The new fighter was older than all of them, judging by the gray hair mixed with the black he guessed him to be in his forties. Shirou imagined fighting in an untucked gray suit shirt could not have been comfortable. And how did he keep that tattered red cloak from getting in the way? Based on his movements he was quite skilled, his weapon was a large single-edged Greatsword, though Shirou could see it was far more than that. Like the fascinating Crescent Rose he had spotted back in Vale, it could transform into an impressive scythe complete with hidden shotgun barrels hidden within. Truly it was a versatile weapon.

The young man with the mechanical legs turned, delivering a thunderous high kick which the newcomer parried with seemingly little effort. A shockwave was produced by their clash felt by Shirou and Velvet.

Cinder growled, clearly she viewed the new opponent as a credible threat. Holding out her hands, a pair of blades made of the very fire that engulfed her burst to life. Shirou looked to her new weapons, relieved that she had chosen that particular form, allowing him to study their structure more closely.

 _No doubt about it…that is mana holding the fire in its current shape._

The woman rocketed towards him without moving her legs, the newfound power open to her allowing such feats. Shirou raised his Noble Phantasms, blocking her attack.

A wave of heat assaulted him more than he had ever felt before, he felt it though his very aura. Even his weapons, copies of Noble Phantasms from Gilgamesh's treasury started to melt before his very eyes. The fringes of his sleeves catching fire along with them.

"Shirou get away from her!" Velvet cried out, her gatling gun already spinning to fire.

Her partner complied as a hail of fire rained down on Cinder, each shot dispersing harmlessly against the infernal shield that encompassed her body. As the last of the energy ran dry, she replaced it with Junior's bazooka, firing a half dozen hard-light rockets right into her back. The explosions enveloped Cinder in a cloud of smoke, in the confusion the rabbit-Faunus bounded towards her partner.

"What is that power?" Velvet asked as she met up with him. Shirou allowed the remains of his weapons to disperse, melted almost down to the hilt. Quickly, he ripped off his jacket and threw it aside, the sleeves still aflame and slowly burning the clothing away.

"That is magic from my worl…from my people," he corrected quickly, fully aware Velvet's barrage would be insufficient to stop her. "I don't know how…but that is fueling her abilities."

"Any method to bringing it down?" She quickly asked. The smoke was already starting to clear, it was obvious Cinder was still standing.

Shirou could only shrug; he was no expert in counter-magic, and the heat emanating from her was the real problem. "Don't get near her; this magic is what is allowing her to mold and augment the flames. If we can deplete it, she'll be vulnerable."

"So," Velvet started, ensuring she knew what Shirou meant. "We hit her as hard as we can while TRYING to get her to throw everything at us?"

Kanshou and Bakuya materialized in his hands as Cinder continued to stare at them. She was giving them all the time they needed on purpose, such was how high above them she considered herself. Behind them, the newcomer was busy facing her disciples, he seemed to have the upper hand, but for the meanwhile they were on their own against her.

"Precisely!" He shouted, hurling his twin weapons squarely at her as he and Velvet scattered to split her focus. Impossibly, both swords were reduced to ash and slag long before getting near her.

Cinder had finally grown bored of waiting. Holding out her hands, a burst of flame erupted forth that the two of them narrowly avoided. To Shirou's horror, twin orbs of fire appeared over her shoulders. They were rotating about, clearly attempting to lock onto him. Finally locating their target, a funnel of lava erupted from it towards them with pinpoint accuracy.

"Trace!" Shirou shouted at the last moment. The colossal blade of Berserker acting as a shield to block the magma as Velvet had done in her match in the classroom. Planting the harsh blade into the ground he leaned against it, freeing his hands to choose another weapon.

 _Can't get close, but if we keep up this rate we won't last._

Cinder kept up the pressure, her energy seemingly inexhaustible. The smile on her face grew wider and wider bordering on mania as she rode out the high of her new abilities. Shirou would have to trace a new weapon soon; even Berserker's axe-blade was melting before his very eyes. He just needed a moment to focus.

The orb of fire targeting him popped like a bubble as a hard-light copy of Gáe Bolg blasted through it, imbedding in the ground not far from him. Cinder turned, having seemingly written off the Faunus-girl as a non-threat. Focusing the last orb on her, she did not realize that Gáe Bolg was shifting in the ground. Unexpectedly it ripped itself free, obliterating the 2nd orb as it returned to Velvet, the light disappearing back within her box of tricks.

"How many people are in a rush to die today?" She sighed. Holding open her palm, a spear comprised of fire formed within it. With a grunt, she launched it directly towards her.

Velvet dodged to the side, yet the spear followed her movements. Only quick thinking to narrowly deflect it with Yatsuhashi's blade saved her life, though the molten javelin shattered her right bracer on its way past, scorching her arm. Cinder was already preparing another volley as she recovered.

She did not get the chance, staggering as a hail of gunfire rained down on her back, battering her fire bubble. Turning, her face awash with rage, she looked upon who else dared to challenge her new powers.

"Get away from Velvet you bi-" Coco's last words were drowned out by her gunfire. Behind her, Yatsuhashi rushed in to assist the other fighter. Not far past them, Professor Ozpin himself ran in, cane drawn and ready to fight. He would be upon the battle in a matter of moments.

"Coco! Yatsu!" The Faunus girl called out, her ears perking up higher than Shirou had seen them since setting out.

 _Coco, Yatsuhashi…Professor? How did they…?_

Shirou knew the answer before he asked the question. Velvet must have called for backup early back at the train before they reached the inn. It was the only explanation for their timely arrival. With some breathing space, Shirou formed his next weapon, the plan already in place.

Cinder lashed out with her fire, forcing Coco to roll backwards further away, Velvet raised her hands, a hard-light copy of the strange weapon of the red-cloaked girl appearing within them...Crescent Rose. She had not witnessed the young girl fight with it, but from the photograph captured by her auto-clicker, it was easy enough to see how it was meant to be used. The weapon unfolded into a massive scythe, the blade doubling as the barrel of a high-impact sniper rifle. Taking aim, she unloaded into Cinder.

The replicated armor-piercing bullets impacted her fire shield to no effect, but it kept her attention, which was all Shirou needed.

Cinder turned too late to witness him rise up from behind his smoldering makeshift bulwark, black bow in hand. This time, however, he did not have simple aura-arrows. Nocked within the bow was a Noble Phantasm more akin to a drill than a blade, Caladbolg II. The legendary sword, turned arrow by Archer, was aimed straight for Cinder's center of mass. Pulling back, with great effort and pain, as far as he could, Shirou loosed the devastating attack. The tip of the projectile started to rotate and drill as it flew straight and true towards the murderous maiden.

Cinder's eyes widened, clearly sensing the tremendous threat barreling towards her, she held up her hands. Twisting them sideways, she manipulated the wave of her flames, creating a draft of hot air around her. As Caladbolg II entered range, it became caught up in the magically manipulated currents. Somehow, she skewed its course just enough, causing the weapon to miss her by the smallest of margins, chipping away at her aura as it buried itself in the ground behind her.

Shirou rolled to the side, Velvet following suit. Even Professor Ozpin grabbed Coco and pulled her to a greater distance from what he knew was coming. Cinder had no time to react as the Noble Phantasm exploded, encompassing her in a great plume of fire, earth and shrapnel. All were quiet as the dust settled, uncertain what would greet them on the other side.

Their question was soon answered as a shockwave of fire dispersed the dust and fragments. After a twenty-foot distance the wave vanished, revealing the woman known as Cinder standing tall. Her aura was flickering and her fire shield was noticeably diminished, yet her powers remained. She was gritting her teeth in absolute rage.

 _How much mana did that transfer give her? It should be impossible for someone who has never used magical circuits before to harness so much._

"YOU ACTUALLY THOUGHT YOU STOOD A CHANCE…YOU?" She roared, her previous calm, superior demeanor shattered by the certain defeat only narrowly avoided. She raised her hands in both directions, releasing a surge of energy from each.

Shirou dodged once again, redirecting the attack somewhat at the cost of his bow. Ozpin raised his cane, splitting the molten fire down the center, protecting Coco and the others behind him. Velvet had not been so lucky. Her copied scythe was gone, blasted out of existence along with part of her armor exposing her shoulder. She lay on the ground, struggling to stand.

"Velvet!" Coco and Shirou called out simultaneously. Cinder noticed their cries of concern, Shirou's heart dropped into his gut at the familiar sneer of spite on her face as she turned towards the beaten girl.

Most of the remaining flames coalesced around Cinder, meeting as a single sphere in her hands. Arching her back, the twisted maiden pointed forward, releasing a colossal tunnel of fire towards her…Velvet was still not back up on her feet yet. Shirou moved as fast as his legs would carry him.

"Wait Shirou!" He heard Ozpin shout behind him. "That's your death you're running into!"

 _That's hell you're walking into…_ a familiar voice echoed behind him.

Velvet noticed the flames as they approached, with no time to think or run, she threw her arms up holding the first weapon she could think of. The twin short swords she had fallen in love with shimmered in her grip, awaiting the impact.

Velvet could feel heat swirl around her, yet was not accompanied by the expected pain or death. Hesitantly, she opened her eyes.

"Rho Aias!"

Shirou Emiya, her partner and friend...the man who had given her such confidence and taught so much in so short a time stood before her, having erected a barrier of rose colored energy. Five layers matching the number of flower petals had burst to life as he dove to protect her, though one had shattered instantly on contact with Cinder's attack, the next layer already cracking. The flames bent around them from his shield, yet reconvened behind them. They were safe within its confines, but could not escape.

 _Damnit! I have to be able to do SOMETHING._ Shirou roared as the second layer shattered, the third starting to buckle. _I don't have enough aura or od to…_

The roaring maelstrom in Shirou's mind parted, unclouded by his search for Gilgamesh, questions of the world or thoughts of the future. He no longer focused on them, in that moment, all he cared about was protecting everyone, protecting Velvet behind him who had grown so much in the short time since he'd met her…and that thought led him to the sole conclusion.

 _I've used both od and aura to construct my weapons whether it was back home or here. If either can be used for the same thing, they must become a mutually usable power source within me. I have neither enough od or aura to do it…but together…_

Shirou gritted his teeth, his arm straining and discoloring up to his elbow from maintaining the crumbling defense. If he was to act, now was the last chance. Focusing, he delved into the new well that had sprung within him in the Emerald forest as well as the magical circuits of which he was already familiar. Breathing heavy, he pulled as much as he could spare of each toward a singular purpose. An image of parallel rivers materialized in his mind, that base was all he needed. It took but a few thoughts for the two streams to converge...meeting in the middle of a vast lake.

" _ **I am…the bone of my sword!"**_ He groaned, struggling to focus on the words and maintain the barrier.

The third layer started to crack; the pain escalating with each moment, he had to be fast if he was to…

A blue light burst forth before him as three azure layers overlapped those of Shirou's remaining, petals matching in color joined his own, creating a captivating effect as the two meshed together. The pressure lessened considerably as they took the renewed brunt of Cinder's assault, her attack not diminishing in the slightest.

Velvet stood behind him, her hands pressed against his back, helping to keep him on his feet. A stream of light was being emitted from the box at her hip, generating her own Rho Aias for support. It was holding, though hers was already cracking. Shirou had no time to be impressed by or compliment her invention.

" _ **Steel is my body, and fire is my blood,**_ "

Cinder's face could barely be seen through the flaming maelstrom, the fury and effort warping her features. Despite the appearance, her reserves were not limitless, but how much longer could she last?

" **I have created over a thousand blades,** "

Velvet's first layer shattered into nothingness, the next coming under fire.

" _ **Have suffered loss unaware of the pain caused to what I've gained,**_ "

Velvet looked on at her partner, clearly he was doing something, and she had to help him finish no matter what. She could feel the pressure from the attack through Shirou's body; she braced his with her own, neither giving an inch.

" _ **My home is where I make my stand, wherever that may be,"**_

Velvet's second layer was obliterated.

" _ **My path is true, and my life will forever be,**_ "

" _ **UNLIMITED BLADE WORKS!**_ "

Cinder roared in tandem with Shirou's final verse as his chant concluded. A new fire was formed beneath their feet in counter to Cinder's, though neither he nor his partner felt any heat from the licking flames. The light snaked outward in an instant, giving an illusion that the ground was shattering underfoot. Cinder's attack sputtered as she stopped to prepare for the counterattack she did not recognize. Her bewildered face was the last thing Ozpin, Coco, Yatsuhashi and the grizzled huntsman known as Qrow saw before the three combatants disappeared in a blinding white light.

 **The final battle between Cinder, Shirou and Velvet concludes next time, the battlefield shifting to a realm beyond Remnant…a place where the fate of our heroes will be decided. As always, Read and Review…but most of all Enjoy! :D**


	8. Worlds Apart

**The battle against the counterfeit Maiden concludes within the realm of Shirou's Reality Marble. The one place he can hope to challenge such an elemental force of Remnant…but as the young man has been reminded time and time again…he will not be alone.**

Velvet opened her eyes, blinking furiously to clear out the spots of color in her vision. Strangely, the lighting seemed to have changed. Whereas before it was a dark overcast awaiting an oncoming storm, now the light was sharper as if the golden hour was upon them. Once her eyes focused, Velvet realized it was far more than that.

The Vale countryside was gone along with the rolling green hills, fence posts and all signs of the battle they had just been part of. Instead, the terrain had been replaced with a flat barren wasteland stretching as far as she could see in all directions. The sky was filled with clouds, yet a bright sun loomed overhead, attempting to shine through them, giving a sense of perpetual twilight. It was wondrous, yet somber at the same time. The landscape aside, it was what populated the world around her that caused the breath to catch in her throat.

Sticking out of the ground were uncountable weapons stretching as far as the horizon. Velvet could see no end to them. Among their numbers she recognized Gram, the savage axe-blade, Durandal, Caliburn, Crescent Rose, Gambol Shroud, Laguna's gunblade along with dozens of others she knew from her time with Shirou. But that was the extent of her knowledge, beyond them laid unlimited blades that she knew nothing about. With trembling hands, Velvet raised her camera to the scene in front of her.

Shirou was standing tall and resolute, facing down Cinder who was glancing in all directions, clearly confused by the change of locale. Pulling back the frame to center on the two combatants, while including as many weapons as she could fit, Velvet snapped a photo. Her inner huntress and photographer would not allow just a single shot of such a dynamic place. Steadying herself, she aimed at the largest stretch of weapons, widened the frame to maximum and took another picture…then attempted to take another.

The shutter locked up at the attempted third photograph. Velvet looked down in frustration, now was NOT the time to miss a thing. As she examined her camera, desperate to find the fault, she was greeted by a message she thought she'd never see.

 _ **MEMORY FULL**_

"That's…impossible," Velvet whispered with a gasp. She had designed the camera to compress the data for each blueprint to the smallest possible size to take up a minuscule amount of space. It should have allowed her to store up more weapons than she could count. For it to be full after only two flashes, just how many weapons did she now have stored within, hundreds, thousands…more? More weapons than she could ever hope to use in her career as a huntress?

"What is this?" Cinder demanded as the flames around her burst forth anew, revitalized by the rage bubbling through her veins. "What is this trick?" Her scowl deepened upon spotting her own twin swords lying among the collected forgeries.

"No trick," Shirou muttered, still recovering a bit from the broken Rho Aias. "This is the only magic I possess." He turned to make sure Velvet was alright, relief washed through him as he saw her safe. He continued, more for Velvet's benefit than Cinder's. "I don't create weapons; I create a world populated with an infinite number of them."

"It's…incredible."

Shirou held out his hand, a version of Durandal erupted from the ground nearby and flew through the air to be expertly caught by him.

"I'm sorry Velvet," he whispered only for her to hear. "I should have listened to you…much sooner. Feel free to take whatever weapons you need. They are at your disposal."

In a flash Shirou took off, making a straight line for Cinder. Velvet did not hesitate, reaching down she pulled the closest weapon available to her. The Gambol Shroud wielded by Adam's beloved Blake.

"Death wishes all of you!" Cinder roared as bullets of fire erupted from her shield to rain down upon them.

Shirou swung Durandal expertly, dispersing each one with little effort, protecting Velvet coming up behind him. She had already converted the sword into its firearm mode and took aim. Once close enough, Shirou slashed forward, cutting a thin opening in her weakened bubble that allowed him access. He immediately noticed the difference; the unforgiving heat was far more manageable and no longer caused him pain by proximity.

 _She must be using up her mana to maintain the flames by sacrificing their potency…she has to be close to empty!_

As Shirou clashed against her fire-glass forged replicas of her twin blades, Velvet swung around, unloading the entire magazine into her shield. Cinder did not flinch, but every little bit helped. As the weapon ran dry, Velvet hurled it spinning towards her, disintegrating against her shield that Shirou had managed to breach.

As Velvet drew forth Crescent Rose, unloading it into the shield, she looked up in awe at what was heading their way. Dozens of weapons from across the landscape were hurtling towards Cinder trailing blue light. Pulled by Shirou's will, they impacted the fiery barrier again and again, each hit splitting her focus, however minutely. Many were copies of unbreakable Noble Phantasms, not even her fire could melt them. Regardless, Cinder remained mobile in her bladed dance with Shirou. She was aware of her surroundings enough to not only fight with him, but avoid the weapons that punctured her shield aptly.

Within the flaming shield, Shirou dueled against her, his Durandal proving its worth as it shattered her blades again and again. Despite his superiority, she constantly had new weapons birthed from the fire ready before he could bring his own down upon her. Cinder had fallen back on her skill and martial arts coupled with her incredible swordsmanship surpassing even Adam. At long last, she managed to rip the unbreakable sword from his grasp; slicing his arm…he had used all of his aura to form and maintain his marble, none remained for defense.

As quickly as he lost it, Shirou leaned back to avoid her follow-up, a fresh weapon entering his hands…Harbinger, the blade of the stranger who had come to their aid against Cinder's disciples. It was the closest he could summon in time.

Shirou swung the impressive weapon down, requiring Cinder to cross her blades to stop it, her legs buckling from the impact. Like Shirou, his opponent must have been constantly improving and tempering her swords as her fire blades succeeded in holding back the new weapon. With each swing, Shirou felt the metal of his new copy start to groan, succumbing to the heat.

Ducking to avoid a swing, Cinder caught Shirou in the face with a powerful kick, cutting his cheek on the heel and sending him sailing backwards. As he flew, he twisted the weapon, bending the blade downward to reveal a pair of shotgun barrels catching Cinder in the chest with both shells point blank and causing her own aura to flicker.

On his way out, he scarcely cut the bubble open in time once more to avoid incineration at the cost of his new forgery. He immediately righted himself, sliding to a stop just in time to witness the oncoming fireballs. Thinking quickly, the barrage of weapons impacting Cinder's shield redirected, intercepting each projectile again and again to protect him as he retrieved a new Kanshou and Bakuya.

 _I have to end this; I can't keep this up much longer. If she is still standing when the marble collapses, it's over._

"Get away from him!" Velvet screamed. She had just created hard-light copies of Junior's rocket launcher over each shoulder, her last two photos she had of them.

Pulling the trigger, over a dozen rockets bombarded her shield…Cinder continued to shrug off the Faunus-girl. The frustration at being so disregarded boiled in Velvet mixing with her rage at how battered Shirou was becoming. She was through fighting safe.

"I SAID…!" She roared, even drawing Cinder's attention somewhat. She tapped the box at her hip, bashing out commands quickly Shirou had never seen.

Velvet threw out her arms wide, Ember Celica's wrapped around them, but it was what was occurring behind her that caused Shirou and Cinder to simultaneously pause their battle.

Blue pools of hard-light energy were materializing behind Velvet, dozens and dozens stacking atop one another above her head and folding out to the left and right. Shirou could see beams of light emitting from her camera towards each one. Their numbers continued to grow as the pools started to warp and shift…taking shape at long last. Each one of them took the appearance of a weapon, no two were the same, Shirou saw the blades he had witnessed during his time on Remnant; Harbinger, Gambol Shroud, Adam's black blade, Crescent Rose, Professor Port's axe, Oobleck's torch and dozens more…but also many that had found a home in his reality marble. Even Cinder took a step back at the number of weapons being arrayed against her.

 _Was that her upgrade?_ Shirou realized, noticing the sparks and bolts spitting from her box at random intervals. _Can it really handle generating so many at once? Velvet was worried about the excess energy…did she find a way around it?_

It was clear Velvets camera and box were straining to generate so many, at long last it appeared she had reached her limit. Surges of electricity leapt from it, impacting Velvet's aura yet she held her ground, eyes of fury focused on the twisted maiden.

"I SAID…GET AWAY FROM HIM!"

With that final word, a gesture of her hands and blast from Ember Celica, a great pulse appeared behind each weapon and sent them screaming towards Cinder as Velvet's invention channeled the excess energy into momentum for each replica, while also expanding the range they could move beyond its confines. She utilized as many images from her camera as she could muster, yet with the insurmountable quantity she had gleamed from even a single photo of Shirou's landscape; to truly empty it was now an utter impossibility.

Cinder's entire field of view was filled with weapons bent on her defeat. She barely noticed the second wave coming from Shirou as the full weight that he could summon from his reality marble was brought to bear against her.

 _She made…her own Gate of Babylon?_ Even as battered as he was, Shirou could not help but ponder the irony of Velvet's attack.

Cinder took off, using her flames as propulsion, but the merciless double barrage of countless weapons followed her. Despite her incredible speed and power remaining, there was no escape and nowhere to run. For every one that she dodged, another six impacted her shield dead center. Finally realizing this, the nefarious woman stopped, holding her ground she extended her shield and reinforced it as much as she could right up until the moment of impact.

A great plume was kicked up as hundreds of weapons impacted her from every angle, so many it took several seconds before the bombardment ended, the landscape around her utterly demolished. Velvet rushed to Shirou's side, desperately attempting to bring her camera under control. Whatever she'd done had clearly caused damage. The entirety of her creation was scorched and blackened; he hoped it could be repaired.

When the barrage had ended and the dust cleared, Cinder could be seen amidst the remains. Amazingly, she was still conscious albeit on her knees, panting hard from the effort to survive the punishment. Her personal aura flickered and her shield of fire was completely spent. The blades that could not be stopped were scattered around her like grave markers…she had blocked what she could and dodged the rest.

"I have not worked for so long to lose it all in an instant!" In a flash she was back on her feet, a black-glass copy of her bowblade materialized in her hand. With a twang, three arrows flew towards them, falling short and burying into the ground at their feet.

"MOVE!" Shirou yelled, having seen the technique in her weapon's history. A grating whistling sound could be heard building higher and higher.

The two dove in opposite directions as the arrows detonated, the blast wave shattered Velvet's aura and lit Shirou's shirt aflame. Swiftly he tore the shredded remains off, his back only slightly scorched. The young magus leapt to his feet, taking a stance with his married blades.

Cinder was preparing another shot as Shirou rushed forward. From the side, four forgeries of Berserker's axe-sword spun in like saw blades aiming straight for her throat. Cinder still had strength to spare, separating her bow back into their twin form; she parried each to the side. The behemoth weapons buried into the terrain several feet to her left and right. In her exhaustion, Cinder did not realize Shirou had subtly adjusted where they landed.

The trap set, Shirou hurled his pair spinning end over end towards her, to his astonishment, a hard-light pair followed behind. Shirou had already created the next Kanshou and Bakuya set, and Velvet was alongside him the whole time, her box of tricks retaining the stability to create them, albeit barely.

 _I've never shown this attack to her,_ Shirou thought, utterly perplexed. _How is she mimicking something she hasn't…?_

The answer came to him as he watched her movements; Velvet had never seen him perform the maneuver before...she didn't have to. She wasn't mimicking what she had seen, she was imitating his movements as he was making them, her motions a mere fraction of a second slower to the point it was barely noticeable. Together, they threw a second set each towards Cinder, a third already in hand just as the previous left their grip.

 _What an incredible girl_. _For her to so perfectly imitate an attack that was the culmination of Archer's usage of the married swords and the true meaning behind Kanshou and Bakuya..._ Shirou could not express the amazement and pride he felt.

As easily as she'd parried Berserker's weapons, Cinder knocked aside their first barrage of Kanshou and Bakuya, the four blades spinning away in either direction followed closely by the second pairs. Shirou was up first to perform the coup de grace with Velvet beside him. Cinder leaned back to avoid him, bringing her flexible legs up she caught Velvet in the side of the head hard with a resounding crack, knocking her away before she could strike.

Shirou didn't relent, planting his feet he charged forward, his blades coming back to perform a renewed cross-slash. Cinder twirled her swords, ready to parry him, only for her counter to fail as the first pair she had knocked away at the start returned, intercepting her strike. Her only counterattack thwarted, she could do nothing but watch as not only did Shirou catch her square in the chest with both blades…but so did all of the remaining pairs encircling her, slashing across her back and chest as a single omni-directional strike. The attack was a devastating success as each pair performed their task and vanished as they cut through Cinder's aura, flesh and bone. One struck her in the face, slicing away her left eye.

Cinder slid backwards, yet dug her glass heels into the dirt, skidding to a stop. Unfortunately, the combined slashes only barely shattered her aura; the gashes across her body were ugly and bleeding profusely, yet were not deep enough for a fatal wound, she refused to drop. The crazed maiden spun her blades back to bear on him, stabbing forward with all her might.

A splatter of blood covered Shirou's chest, dribbles emerging from Cinder's mouth. A glittering blue Kanshou and Bakuya had pierced her chest where her heart should be….from behind

"Wh-wha?" She gasped, turning around to verify what she felt, how did she not spot her?

Velvet stood behind her, eyes focused in rage as her weapons disappeared, blood dripping from the side of her head where Cinder's kick had connected. The false maiden had missed her presence completely; the towering weapons of Berserker on either side having restricted her peripheral vision, allowing the already stealthy Faunus to maneuver around unseen. Her spatial awareness was useless if she couldn't see nor hear the attack coming.

"A…damned…rodent?" Cinder sputtered with a sanguine cough before slouching forward, the light draining from her eyes in final defeat. The plan worked…almost perfectly.

Cinder's blades had punched through Shriou's chest and emerged out his back, Velvet's final attack a heartbeat too late to stop it. Blood seeped forth in a spreading pool from the points of contact.

"SHIROU!" Velvet screamed as she saw the wounds. But she had no time to move as a blue-white explosion erupted between them, blinding her to all else.

The reality marble collapsed.

 **Vale Countryside…**

Ozpin looked on as Coco tended to Yatsuhashi's injuries, nothing serious thankfully, just a gash across his head after a rather one sided beating from the young man known as Mercury Black. He and his associate, Emerald Sustrai were unconscious and bound, currently being secured by Qrow. They were fortunate that Velvet had contacted them when she had, any slower and they would have…

A blue-white flash caused them to jump, they had returned.

Shirou was slumped backwards, impaled through his chest, the blades responsible were already disintegrating into the air with the defeat of their master. Cinder Fall, pawn of the Queen he had been warned of, was similarly crumpled on the ground. Velvet had been blasted back several feet and looked unconscious.

"Qrow! Tend to the girl!" Ozpin shouted as he hurried over to Shirou, kneeling down, he cradled the 1st years student's head in his arms. He was still alive…but wouldn't be for long. Yatsuhashi ignored his injuries, along with Coco they ran to Velvet to check on her, trusting Shirou to the Headmaster. She was slowly coming around.

"S-she….safe?" Shirou gasped, he could barely speak.

"Ms. Scarlatina is quite safe Mr. Emiya." Ozpin replied, as stoic as ever, yet his eyes betrayed a great sadness as he looked over Shirou's injuries. "For you, however I am afraid there is nothing we can do. We set out hoping to bring you back, had I known we'd be stepping into such a battlefield I would have prepared further. I have no such healing any longer, and from the look of it, Avalon is depleted even if you had any od left to ignite it."

Shirou's brow furled at the mention of Avalon, he knew of it as Saber's lost scabbard, but how did Ozpin…?

"I would have told you eventually you know," the aging Headmaster removed his glasses and rubbed the bridge of his nose. "I suppose the gods are ever cruel regardless of world. At long last I find a rendition of humanity I can respect, even spread tales of our world to invigorate their spirit…yet must suffer through millennia of these ACCURSED reincarnations," his demeanor seemed to be changing before Shirou's eyes.

Shirou wanted to move, get away as he realized what this meant, but he couldn't. His energy was slipping away with each second; he couldn't even muster a word.

"I finally find you after all these years, but you were the same mongrel who only knew me from so long ago, who flees on an obsessive chase caused by a weapon pathetically lost to me ages ago. I would have told you…once you were no longer set on claiming my head."

 _All this time…he was right there…back at Beacon. All the discussions they'd had, the tea and coffee shared,_ Ozpin's true identity was unmistakable now.

"You have good eyes for Ms. Scarlatina," he complimented in absolute sincerity, noticing she was stumbling to her feet. "It must be my unique curse imparted by the Grail…fakers just seem to be drawn to me like moths to a flame…always in pairs, as well. You may rest easy; I will ensure she fulfills her dream of being a huntress and hero. After all, a king would do well to promote the strength of his most promising subjects. Every pawn contains the unlimited potential of a Queen if they reach for it, do they not?"

Gently, he laid Shirou back down, the unrecognizable King of Heroes wanted his final moments to be peaceful.

"Shirou!" Velvet had fully recovered and was scrambling towards him, tears streaming down her face. Yatsuhashi and Coco were close behind and would be upon them any second.

Glasses restored, Professor Ozpin sadly returned to his full height, turning to them approaching students.

"I am…so sorry students," he answered solemnly. "There is nothing to be done; if you have anything to say…now is the time." Velvet was upon him first, taking his head in her hands she pulled him close. The scene was not all too dissimilar from when he had been found in the burning wreckage as a child.

"She's dead too Oz," Qrow remarked. "Power's gone; we'll have to start looking again. His old mentor only nodded, it didn't matter in that moment.

"Why?" The young girl asked between sobs. Yatsuhashi moved forward, but Coco held him back. The moment was between them. "Why couldn't you have just come back with me?"

Shirou wanted to answer, so badly he wanted to, yet he could barely open his mouth. He wouldn't last much longer.

"I could have learned…so much more from you. Even if you never showed me another sword as long as you lived. Please stay…" She begged, squeezing tighter.

 _I wish I could. There was still so much to see and learn…if only there was more time. But…the Headmaster of Beacon is him…the entire reason I left. I have…to tell you…_

Shirou gasped, slowly he opened his mouth to speak, Velvet and the others grew silent. The pain was excruciating, he'd only be able to say a single sentence…and he chose that which he felt was most important.

"You…are going to be an amazing huntress…and an even better hero."

With that final effort, he went limp in her arms, his eyes closing for the last time in Remnant. As Shirou Emiya passed from the new world in which he had found himself. Coco removed her beret and glasses, determined in vain not to let a single tear fall down her cheeks…she'd need to be there for Velvet. Yatsuhashi stood tall to his full seven foot height, bowing low before Shirou as was his way. Velvet continued to cry.

And then…in the midst of such sorrow, a rather strange thing occurred. Blue wisps almost like motes of starlight started billowing off his body, disappearing into the air above. Yatsuhashi stood back up, Coco blinked to clear her eyes, and even Professor Ozpin looked on amazed, adjusting his glasses for a better look. The substance of Shirou's body began to drain away starting with the color, then the very mass itself beginning with his feet and working up. As the details began to disappear, he soon did not look too dissimilar from the hard-light copies Velvet had created.

Velvet did not know what to think, she held tighter as if she could prevent him from disappearing, but the process continued. In desperation, as the effect reached his torso, the Faunus-girl leaned forward, pulling him up she kissed him on the lips, her tears dropping onto his cheek as she did so. He was still warm to the touch, she held that as long as she could…right up to the moment he vanished from her arms, leaving her there kneeling on the ground.

"Wha…what happened?" The young woman asked as she knelt there confused. No sign remained that Shirou Emiya had ever been there at all.

"Something…extraordinary," Ozpin explained as best she would understand. Extending a hand, he helped her up. "Do you truly wish to see Mr. Emiya again?"

She nodded furiously without hesitation, her rabbit ears bobbing up and down all the while.

"Then continue your path Ms. Scarlatina. He is no longer among us, but Mr. Emiya is far from gone. If you continue towards your goal…become a huntress…a hero, then there is a possibility that you may meet him again someday.

Velvet looked up at her headmaster, nodding as she wiped away the last of her tears; none noticed a single speck of ember fall with the last drop. As Coco and Yatsuhashi took up positions to comfort her, she looked off into the setting sun, her ears standing as tall as she could make them. The glow gave her the briefest of reminders of that barren landscape filled to the brink with swords, that image in Shirou's mind that now graced her camera. Though even were it not there, she would never forget it…or him.

 _I will…and I WILL see Shirou again, if it is possible, there is nothing that will stand in my way!_

 **Where it all Began…**

Shirou shot up, almost hyperventilating before realizing that his breaths came easier. He could feel the energy draining from him not a moment earlier, he'd been dying…in Velvet's arms. The room he found himself in was well lit, taking him a moment to adjust to the light.

"This…is my room."

Sure enough, it was his house, of that there was no doubt. It was empty, devoid of furniture beyond the desk under the window and the futon he was wrapped in, just as he'd left it. In a state of utter confusion, Shirou shot out from the covers, feeling his chest and lifting his shirt, he was wearing different clothes, pajamas? The injuries sustained from the battle with Cinder were gone, he was alive, whole and hale.

Sliding open a drawer from his desk, he pulled out a calendar. It was the same month that he'd fought Gilgamesh…someone had been marking off the days. If it was accurate, his battle had only occurred two days earlier.

 _But…I was gone for two weeks…_

"Well, someone is eager to get started."

Shirou spun on his heels, nearly wiping out were it not for the desk to provide support at the familiar voice.

"Rin!?" It had been so long since he'd seen her. Staggering forward, he gripped her shoulders, arms, even a strand of her hair to ensure he was not hallucinating. "You're here? Is this real?"

The brunette looked confused, blushing red as he held her; finally as his hands found her hair she slapped them away. "Of course I'm real you idiot, how hard did you get hit? I guess I should have expected as much, you being stupid enough to take on Gilgamesh alone."

"But, how did you get me back?"

"Back?"

"From Remnant!"

Rin was now quite confused; looking at him as if he had just told her he'd singlehandedly mastered the five true magics during his time unconscious. Trying to get a cohesive answer, he and Rin spent the rest of the morning exchanging stories. Shirou told her as much as he could recall of his time in Remnant while Rin briefly walked him through the events after his struggle with Gilgamesh. Of how Saber had destroyed the Holy Grail with Excalibur…she'd even rescued Shinji who was recovering at the hospital. The young magus assured him that she had located his unconscious body after the battle, he had never left Earth. She'd spent the last two days tending to him and making excuses to everyone so they wouldn't catch on to his condition.

"Bunny girls…you are kidding right?" Rin asked as he concluded his recollection, despite fully trusting Shirou's words, the whole thing sounded ludicrous.

"She was more than a bunny girl!" Shirou snapped reflexively, the realization that she surely thought he was dead wouldn't leave his mind. He felt guilty, pure and simple.

 _I left her again...with no way back. But how, how did this happen in the first place?_

"But how is that possible?" Shirou asked aloud. They had moved their conversation to the kitchen where was currently in the process of whipping up some eggs.

"So that's where you were," Rin muttered to herself. "You've been here the whole time…mostly. Your body was, but the greater part of your soul and consciousness were elsewhere. That's why I watched over you so closely, monitoring for any sign that the portion of your soul still inside your body didn't weaken. It didn't, even until now. As for the two days versus weeks, well, time displacement isn't unheard of. I doubt we can know with absolute certainty how it happened…"

"But I'm sure you thought of a few ideas while I was gone?" Shirou asked with the slightest fringes of a smile on his face. He knew her too well.

Rin replied with an indignant "hmmph," and a throw of her hair. "My theory? The Grail searched for a place where your wish could be granted. To save people? To be a hero or failing that, to find one? It not only found somewhere…but it sent most of your soul there housed in a servant's body. It fulfilled your wish and performed a summoning function all at the same time. Until you came back, I assumed the bulk of your soul was somewhere on Earth and we'd have to go out looking for it."

 _A servant's body, that explains my od not regenerating. But that means getting back is nearly impossible. There must be a way. What if Velvet…_

Shirou suddenly latched onto Rin's last statement.

"We?"

"She's probably in the dojo this time of d…"

Shirou bolted from the kitchen, leaving Rin to turn off the stove. He was out the door before she could even call out his name. He had been so wrapped up in explaining Remnant and the events of his two weeks that the thought had never crossed his mind she may still be there. Reaching the dojo, he flung open the door; a familiar woman was kneeling at the far end. At his presence, she raised her head, smiling serenely towards him.

"Saber…"

 **Homurahara Gakuen…**

Across the city, atop the rooftop of Homurahara Gakuen, was a bearded old man, at least he appeared to be. Despite the considerable distance between the young magus' home and the place of learning, he could tell everything that was occurring as if he were there.

He was dressed in black from head to toe, a shoulder cape clasped by a gold chain across his chest fluttered in the wind as he gazed out towards the residence far beyond. He was nonchalantly relaxing against the nearby railing while simultaneously leaning on a long cane; tapping it impatiently at regular intervals…contemplating what had just occurred.

"What a fascinating boy," he muttered to himself as he was wont to do. "To think his wish could punch a hole in the Kaleidoscope itself. And here I thought I'd seen just about everything interesting."

He practically felt excited, whimsical…giddy? It was as good a word as he could think in that moment. How serendipitous it was that the young man's wish had been so strong, that not only had the Grail opened a new route through the Kaleidoscope, but to send his soul there at the same time? And to land practically smack dab on top of another forgery-maker? Even he had to admit, the scenario was utterly ridiculous…and he loved it. Accomplishing all of that while working with a Tohsaka as well? How far that family had come in such a short amount of time.

"Congratulations on being the first…'Heroic Spirit' to visit the new world," he smiled, preparing to depart. "Good luck in your future endeavors boy, you'll need it. I'm off to partake in the fruits of your labor; the ramifications of the connection to this new world you've pioneered should be quite…enjoyable."

 **Thus ends Shirou's tale in Remnant, his blinding search for Gilgamesh ending his journey before it could truly begin. Yet the Kaleidoscope is open, Earth and Remnant's fates now intrinsically linked. One adventure ends, yet countless more parallel worlds and routes have been made possible…**


	9. Reunited as Heroes

**Two rivers can run parallel to one another for hundreds…thousands of miles, never even realizing that they follow the same path. However, as the old adage goes, no matter how far they must go, all rivers eventually must reconvene at the sea…**

I lowered my head, somehow scarcely avoiding death, the projectile skimming my shoulder shredding flesh but missing anything vital. I stumbled, but knew if I fell it would be over, I crouched lower, protecting the bag in my arms with my life. Reaching out, I grasped the strong metal door, pulling it open. Once the barest amount of room was afforded I slid inside the repurposed warehouse, slamming the reinforced door behind myself and sealing it tight.

The room was secured, at least as well as it could be against a servant. The doors should hold long enough to complete my task. I gently laid the bag procured from my contacts at the Mage's Association on the ground, making sure to take care of the fragile relic within.

I winced in pain, forgetting how sharp the edges still were after all this time. Ignoring the stinging and drips of blood, I removed the item. An old, fractured lens, the chronicles told it had been from her original, but even if they were exaggerations, as long as it belonged to any it would do.

The altar was already set up ahead of time; I silently thanked myself for such foresight. If I had to complete that diagram AND chant I could never finish in time. I tenderly, yet hurriedly, placed the lens in the center of the circle, the time had finally come.

 _ **Fill. Fill. Fill. Fill. Fill. Let each be turned over five times, simply breaking asunder the fulfilled time,**_

My voice cracked as I continued, uttering the words long since memorized. Only a few more verses and the process would be complete.

 _ **Let silver and steel be the essence. Let Stone and the archduke of contracts be the fountain. Let my great Master Schweinorg be the ancestor. Raise a wall, against the wind that shall fall,**_

A loud metallic clang rang out behind me, was the servant already here, or merely firing from a distance? I pushed the worry from my mind, lest the fear cause forgetfulness.

 _ **C-close the four cardinal gates. Come out from the crown. Rotate the three-branched road reaching the kingdom.**_

A glimmering blue light burst forth from the circle etched into the floor, forcing me to squint my eyes. The process was working! Just a little more…

 _ **I shall declare here. Your body shall serve under me. My fate shall be with your sword. Submit to the beckoning of the Holy Grail. If you will submit to this will and this reason…then answer!**_

The ground began to shake beneath my feet, sending various objects not bolted down rattling across the floor. I nearly stumbled even without moving…with a final intake of breath I completed the chant.

 _ **An Oath shall be sworn here! I shall attain all virtues of all of Heaven. I shall have dominion over all evils of all of Hell – From the Seventh Heaven, attended to by three great words of power, come forth from the ring of restraint, Protector of the Balance!**_

The light emitted by the circle exploded outward in a grand nova, I refused to flinch, but my legs failed me as I felt the shockwave of energy impact my chest, knocking me to the floor. I coughed as smoke filled my lungs, was this part of the ceremony as well? Fighting back the burning sensation in my eyes I looked through the mist, mouth dropping open at the sight before me.

It was her…it was really her. My chosen servant stood towering above me as I lay on the ground, legs failing to follow my commands. As the stories told, she bore extravagant heavy armor the color of burnt umber; gold bordered it on all sides. Upon either shoulder were imposing double-thick pointed gold spaulders. Her arms were equally armored save for the joints to allow freedom of movement with gold bracers on each wrist, the umber-steel gauntlets on her hands were quite imposing.

Upon her chest, both shoulders and back, were diamond-teal crystals. They were pristine and shined brightly in any light. The very lens used as the catalyst was said to have been her first from the days before she had worked their magic into her armor. An emblem of a brown heart covered in white stitches on a gold backdrop was burned into her left breast where her own would be. A similar emblem was now etched onto the back of my hand, a trisected heart…the three command seals signifying my role as Master.

Below, she wore what looked like a dress stretching down to just above her ankles but flanked on both sides by layered armor. Her combat-skirt, as historians had dubbed it, retained the same burnt-umber and gold color scheme as above and offered impressive protection while also exhuming feminine beauty.

And beautiful she was, I could tell immediately I was blushing like a fool, but could not help it. Despite the heavy armor, her shapely form was evident leading from her feet all the way up to her face. Her pale skin almost seemed to shine in the moonlight beaming in through the small windows above; she couldn't have been older than twenty-five in her prime. Long braided dark-brown hair fell down to the small of her back. I stared like a love-struck freshman at how her hair swayed in the breeze, how it raised up into the air like a pair of…

 _Wait what?_

My jaw no doubt fell open further as I confirmed what I was seeing. What I had mistaken for part of her long brown hair was in fact a pair of ears…rabbit ears! They had been slicked back across her head, yet now were standing at attention, adding a good couple of inches to her already imposing form.

 _She has rabbit-ears…and they are real? How was that omitted from the texts?_

She had been summoned facing away from me, with a single heel turn she adjusted towards me, eyes matching the color of her hair locked squarely onto mine, both were wreathed in a sinister, yet enchanting orange flame. Surprisingly, the serious look suddenly softened, the literal fire in her gaze going out as she smiled. With an almost child-like joyful expression, she leaned down towards me, resting her hands on her knees to hold the position.

"I suppose, you must be my master?"

My heart skipped a beat, her accent, sounding reminiscent of one hailing from Australia, entranced me as much as her beauty. I couldn't believe it, all the years planning and months preparing, at long last she stood before me. The Hard-Light Hero…the Copycat Queen…The Heroic Maiden herself!"

Atop her head, her rabbit ears twitched suddenly, as if she could hear something currently beyond my senses.

My wonder was short-lived as the door leading to the warehouse exploded behind us. A mana-arrow clearing the distance aimed squarely between my eyes.

The surely fatal projectile was deflected at the last possible moment, soaring out the open window and into the night sky before eventually dissipating harmlessly. She had leapt forward before even the door had been destroyed, a thick armored bracer more than sufficient to redirect the attack. Her serious expression returned as she looked away from me out at the remains of the barricade…towards her opponent emerging into the light.

 **A Meeting of Servants…**

"Congratulations on a successful summons," he remarked dryly. "My Master may have commanded your death, but you deserved a chance to defend yourself. Now, perhaps we can…"

The approaching Servant froze, finally catching a glimpse of his opponent ahead.

The pursuer was a tall man, dark-skin with contrasting short pale-white hair and gray eyes. He was arrayed in a sleeveless black body armor accented with silver showing off his impressive musculature. His long black pants matched the color of the top and were covered with various straps. Over each shoulder was a red long-sleeve clasped by a plate on his back. They were cut quite short and would have bared his midriff were it not for the body armor. He had an identically colored waist cloak wrapped around his pants.

He was Archer, Heroic Spirit of unknown origins recently summoned to do battle in the Holy Grail War, black bow in hand. However, upon spotting his current opponent, his weapon lowered slightly, aiming away from the newly summoned Servant as a look of genuine shock etched itself into his features.

"It…can't be," he gasped.

The Heroic Spirit in armor stepped forward and stopped; she looked as if she wanted to advance on him, yet hesitated. At first she had seemed ready for battle, however upon closer inspection, her stern features softened as she truly realized whom she was facing. A cautious, repressed smile threatened to overtake her features but she restrained it…for the moment.

The crystals embedded in her armor let out a burst of light, like the flash of a camera. Holding out her right hand, a light emerged from within its depths, materializing an object almost instantly. It was a white curved short sword of majestic design with a spike of black within it. It was beautiful, every feature of the weapon appeared flawless, blue lines ran across the outline into every groove, curvature and detail…infinitely superior to those created in her youth. She held it out towards her opponent threateningly, raising a single eyebrow in challenge.

Archer only nodded, releasing his grip, he allowed his black bow to disperse…summoning a new weapon in his left hand. It was a blade identical in make to hers, only with a reversed color scheme and without the ingrained blue energy. He mirrored her gesture, the two refusing to even blink…the battle could start any moment.

The two moved as one, like reflections in a pond they each expertly threw their weapons towards the other, sending them spinning blade over hilt. The two swords were on separate trajectories, however, mid-flight they corrected their course as if inexorably drawn together. They lined up perfectly with each other, causing them to collide between the two combatants with a vibrant explosion. The shockwave was felt by both, though did little more than cause their hair and clothes to billow harmlessly in the resulting backlash.

The challengers did not so much as flinch at the blast, instead, as soon as the dust settled, the opposing Heroic Spirits went on the move. Each of them started walking towards the other, footfalls heavy and sure, their locked intense gazes unwavering. The shaking Master on the floor could only shuffle back, what kind of a match would ensue from their conflict?

The two picked up the pace, neither moving to summon another weapon, what in the world could they be planning? Finally, after what felt like an eternity, they converged.

Without hesitation, the two heroes threw their arms around one another, locking themselves into a powerful embrace. Only then did the Master notice tears falling down his Servant's cheeks. She looked so happy, without restraint she buried her face into Archer's chest as he patted her head, gently stroking her hair and bunny ears that had relaxed down once more.

Even Archer was not unaffected by the encounter, he had long since shed the last of his tears, however on his face rested a smile of contentment he had thought lost to him so long ago…and no small amount of pride at the powerful young woman now standing before him.

It must have seemed so unusual to the perplexed Master lying on the ground. Two Servants, summoned to fight a war, sworn to do battle in the name of their Masters…were embracing as only those bound by Fate could. There was no way the Master could have had any idea…that the worlds and centuries separating these soulmates were finally at an end…as they found each other once more, to be reunited…as heroes.

 **Thus concludes my story, at least this particular path which I have dubbed the "Obsession" route. I wanted to thank EVERYONE who read and enjoyed it. From those who follow and favorite, to guests, reviewers, or those who just read it while passing through. This has easily been my most-read project and the support was so greatly appreciated. I will be updating and editing it through the 8/22 date for the contest to make it as perfect as possible. In the meanwhile I will also be working on other Fanfiction projects I have going, but certainly intend to return to Fate/RWBY works afterwards. The possibilities for what these two stories can accomplish together are…unlimited. As always, I wish you all the best in all that you do and hope you continue to Read and Review…but above all else, Enjoy! :D**


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